In a bid to boost dairy farming, Kenya’s government is planning to waive the duty on raw materials imported for manufacture of animal feeds
Adan Mohamed, acting cabinet secretary for livestock, fisheries and agriculture, made the revelation while addressing delegates at the Africa Dairy Conference and Exhibition in Nairobi.
“I know high animal feeds costs continue to be a major impediment to a vibrant dairy sector and it is our hope that ongoing discussions with the Treasury will see the import duty charged on raw materials for animal feeds processing waived next year,” Mohamed said.
Mohamed also said that dairy farmers should adopt new dairy technologies like fodder storage, milk handling and transportation, to enhance their returns, especially by reducing wastage blamed on unhygienic practices.
The conference was convened by the East and Southern African Dairy Association. Its chairman, Kipkurui Arap Langat, and Kenya’s livestock principal secretary, Fred Segor, called for enhanced co-operation among private and public sector players in the dairy sector. Segor also suggested that private investors should invest in dairy enterprises such as storage and transport.
Experts from the dairy sector at the conference said that the demand for milk in the country was set to triple in the coming years as more people move to urban centres and cities while the population growth continues to register a 2.4 per cent growth. They said that farmers stood to gain from forming co-operatives that would have the necessary clout to raise funds to modernise their practices.
