New board to market Kenya livestock products globally mooted

A new livestock Bill has proposed the formation of a marketing board that will oversee promotion of Kenya’s products across the world.

Livestock Products Marketing Board, which has been proposed in the Livestock Bill 2019, will among other things promote the trade of livestock and livestock products, including signing of trade agreements on behalf of the government.

Livestock Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai said the board will be instrumental in ensuring that animal products from Kenya will compete those from other countries, based on meeting required standards.

“This new body will ensure that the marketed products adhere to international standards as we seek to promote the sale of our livestock products beyond our tradition markets,” said Mr Kimtai.

The new body, says the PS, will also facilitate the marketing of products through provision of market information intelligence on supply and demand locally and internationally.

In the dairy sector, Kenya has of late been relying mainly on Uganda and Tanzania as key major markets with efforts to open up new destinations slowed down by high cost of production locally that has made Kenya’s dairy products not competitive in the world market.

For instance, processors are at the moment stuck with over Sh2 billion worth of long-life products that they cannot sell to international market because of higher prices that they need to sell them at in order to break even.

The Bill also proposes licensing of businesses that deal with livestock inputs such as animal feeds with only people having permits allowed to trade with dairy farmers.

Mr Kimtai said the move will boost livestock production through provision of quality animal feeds that will help in eliminating cases such as aflatoxin that can be exposed to humans through consumption of contaminated feeds.

The PS was speaking yesterday during a stakeholder meeting with the county executives in charge of agriculture in the devolved units.