Milk Production Could Be Answer to Poverty

from All Africa

The Nation (Nairobi)

NEWS
By Muchiri Gitonga
Nairobi

The local dairy industry is the best tool to fight poverty if its potential is harnessed, New Kenya Co-operative Creameries chairman Matu Wamae has said.

He added the industry can improve the income of rural households to an average of Sh9,000 a month, if stake holders built the capacity of farmers.

"Strengthening the local dairy sub-sector is the easiest way to uplift the lives of most Kenyans who live below the poverty line. A household with a well-kept cow today has an income of at least Sh9,000 a month, after deducting all the expenses," Mr Wamae told the Nation at his company's stand during the closing of the Central Kenya ASK show at Kabiru-ini grounds, Nyeri.

He added that earnings from the dairy industry could surpass that of other crops if farmers produced more, since the market is there.

"Farmers had asked us to look for a market for their dairy products. Now the market is there, and it is upon them to give us enough milk for both local and export markets," he said.

The official said his company was paying about Sh200 million per month to dairy farmers, and the prospects were good due to availability of markets in West Africa, Middle East, Southern Sudan and EAC. "In the past, we talked of the 'black gold' in reference to coffee, but now milk is becoming the 'white gold'", he said.

Meanwhile, farmers in central Kenya earned Sh9 billion from the sale of dairy products last year, data from the ministry of Livestock stand shows. Their earnings were higher than the previous year's Sh8 billion.

During the period 526 million litres of milk were realised, which is a moderate increase from the previous year's 479 million litres.

The increase is attributed to many co-operative societies investing more on milk cooling facilities, mainly to extend the shelf-life of the commodity.

A dairy processing specialist, Mr Maclean Egesa, said that the demand for milk is currently higher than supply.