By Naomi Cheruiyot
Dairy farmers in Uasin Gishu County have expressed total support for proposed amendments to the Dairy Industry Act.
Farmers who spoke during a public participation forum in Eldoret town on Tuesday said the amendments will help ensure an increase in milk prices.
They noted that with the adoption of the proposals, they will be able to be protected from middlemen who have been taking advantage of them.
Laban Tanui, a dairy farmer in Uasin Gishu says with better milk prices, their livelihoods will be improved.
“We shall at least be selling our milk at a price of Ksh 45 per litre from Ksh30 at the moment where the cost of production by farmers will have been considered,” Tanui said during the public participation forum.
He also said the proposed amendments will guarantee the safety of milk for consumers.
Regulate and oversight
According to Muhiga Mutahi, the chairperson of Mukurweini Dairy Board, they are receiving views from members of the public and other dairy stakeholders before the bill is presented to the National Assembly for consideration.
Speaking at the event, the Uasin Gishu County Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Philip Biama, said that the review of the bill intends to strengthen the dairy industry to meet the needs of the farmer, the industry operators and consumers.
The purpose of the Bill is to regulate and oversight the dairy industry; promote the safety of dairy produce, enhance consumer protection, and promote the development of the dairy industry as well as domestic and international trade in dairy products.
Furthermore, it provides mechanisms for the collection of data and information for sustainability and a competitive dairy industry.
The Dairy Industry Act, a policy that was assented to the law in 1958 has been amended 12 times, the latest of which was in 2006.
Kenya is the leading milk producer in East Africa.
Further, data from Africa-Milk shows that dairy is the largest agricultural sub-sector in Kenya in terms of income and employment creation contributing to 4% of the overall GDP.
Currently, the sector provides income and employment to over 1.5 million households across the dairy value chain (farmers, collectors, processors, traders, input and service providers, etc.).
The country has around 6.1 million dairy cows, producing about 607 kg/year/cow, and a total annual production of around 3,7 million kg of milk.
