Q1 milk intake falls by 9m litres as supply slumps

Milk intake in the formal market dropped by nine million litres between January and March maintaining pressure on shelf prices.

Data by the Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) indicates supply to processors declined from 54 million kilos in January to 45 million kilos last month as the industry grappled with the effects of a prolonged drought.

About 80 per cent of milk in the country is sold to Kenyans unprocessed with processors only taking 20 per cent of the entire amount.

This has seen processors compete with informal milk traders in times of shortages for the limited commodity.

“The volumes have been coming down because of the drought where we have witnessed a decline in formal intake but the situation is expected to normalise following the onset of rains last week,” said KDB managing director Margaret Kibogy.

The shortage has seen processors turn to powder milk for reconstitution order to supplement the available milk and meet market demand.

The country has been facing a prolonged dry spell after the short rains failed in October last year, affecting fodder in the fields.

However, production volumes were maintained between October and December as farmers who had preserved fodder were not affected.

Processors have in the last couple of years been educating farmers on fodder conservation so that they can weather effects of drought and maintain production of milk during dry spell.

Milk production has improved in recent years as the government moved in to support farmers on how to preserve dairy meals.

The government has also been supporting production of milk through supply of coolers with 350 having been supplied to different cooperative societies.

Farmers, says State Department of Livestock, can now milk their cows twice a day without having to worry as the morning fresh milk is collected while in the afternoon it is chilled at the cooling plants for collection the next day.