The government of Kenya through Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) has launched the Kenya Dairy Industry Sustainability Roadmap 2023 – 2033 with the aim of bolstering dairy farmers’ income by doubling the milk production per cow.
In outlining the transformative objectives of the 10-year roadmap, Mithika Linturi, the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Agriculture and Livestock Development, the aim of the government is to double annual milk production from the current five billion liters to 10 billion liters.
“This will increase dairy exports to one billion liters, raising the formally marketed milk percentage from 30% to 50%, and elevating the revenue of small-scale dairy farmers to Sh56,000 per month,” said Linturi during the roadmap launch in Nairobi.
The CS emphasized the implementation of interventions, such as improved access to fodder and feeds, to double the daily milk productivity per cow and achieve the production targets.
“Kenya has an estimated dairy herd population of 5.1 million and over two million smallholder dairy farmers, with an annual milk production of 5.2 billion liters valued at over Sh.230 billion,” said Linturi.
He underscored the need to enhance productivity, stating that the current yield per cow, below seven liters per day, is below global standards. Doubling production per cow is considered a more feasible approach than increasing the size of the dairy herd.
The CS emphasized the significance of providing better feeds, veterinary services, and a clean environment to enhance milk production, with observable results in less than a week.
He also acknowledged that the industry’s potential has been hindered by low productivity, high production costs, and other inefficiencies.
Linturi disclosed the government’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the dairy sector by 0.4 Metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030, aligning with the National Climate Change Action Plan of 2018–2022.
“There are already ongoing collaborative efforts, including the “Pathways to Dairy Net Zero” (PADNET) project proposal developed in partnership with the State Department of Livestock Development, Kenya Dairy Board, UN, FAO, and IFAD.”
“The proposal aims to transition the dairy industry to lower greenhouse gas emissions and adapt more climate-resilient dairy systems.”
The CS expressed optimism that the roadmap would enable the country to leverage modern technology and climate-smart approaches to competitively produce, process, and market an additional 2.5 billion liters of quality milk annually to meet growing demand.
Margaret Kibogy, the Managing Director of the Kenya Dairy Board, highlighted the roadmap’s goals, including increasing milk production to meet 105% of local demand, enhancing productivity to 20 liters per lactating cow per day for micro-commercial farms, and ensuring 80% of marketed milk undergoes the cold chain.
Developed with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the roadmap envisions modern farming, efficient manufacturing, cutting-edge research and development, increased finance, and expanded trade opportunities with implications for rural transformation.
“We are planning to reduce the retail price of packaged whole milk by at least 20%, and provide on-farm coolers to farmers producing over 50 liters of milk per day and located beyond walking distance from a collective cooling facility,” said Kibogy.
