Govt offers solution for countrywide milk shortage
By Judy Jerono
Due to the ongoing shortage of milk across the country, The Ministry of Agriculture is now seeking to import milk to curb the crisis.
The Ministry of Agriculture has proposed a 30-day window for the importation of milk adding that the looming milk shortage has led to the increase in price of the commodity which has now been hard for Kenyans to purchase.
The ministry, however, said that the ongoing milk shortage will persist for at least another month, attributing the milk shortage to low rains caused by the ongoing drought in some parts of the country which has affected crops as well as dairy farming.
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File image of a person pouring milk into a cooler. |Photo| Courtesy|[/caption]
The fall in production has been linked to the extended dry weather as well as a ban on milk imports from neighbouring Uganda, imposed by the government in 2019 where retailers have reported a shortage in supply with the few stocks available being sold at increased prices.
Expressing their concern over the crisis, the traders noted that the price of a litre of milk is very high compared to previously when a litre was being sold at approximately Ksh55 and now it is being sold at an average of Ksh70 per litre.
They said the high price has led to various supermarkets across the country restricting the number of packets per customer while others have empty shelves.
"Previously we would remain with two boxes of milk after making sales the whole day. However, currently, due to the shortage, the boxes run out by 8 am as some consumers buy in bulk over the crisis," a trader said.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the intake of milk in the formal sector increased to 802 million litres in 2021 as compared to 684 million in 2020.
File image of a person pouring milk into a cooler. |Photo| Courtesy|[/caption]
The fall in production has been linked to the extended dry weather as well as a ban on milk imports from neighbouring Uganda, imposed by the government in 2019 where retailers have reported a shortage in supply with the few stocks available being sold at increased prices.
Expressing their concern over the crisis, the traders noted that the price of a litre of milk is very high compared to previously when a litre was being sold at approximately Ksh55 and now it is being sold at an average of Ksh70 per litre.
They said the high price has led to various supermarkets across the country restricting the number of packets per customer while others have empty shelves.
"Previously we would remain with two boxes of milk after making sales the whole day. However, currently, due to the shortage, the boxes run out by 8 am as some consumers buy in bulk over the crisis," a trader said.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the intake of milk in the formal sector increased to 802 million litres in 2021 as compared to 684 million in 2020.
Farmers have decried the high cost of animal feed, which has a ripple effect on the overall supply chain. They now appeal to the government to intervene because the situation is dire.
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