Dry weather cuts milk intake by five percent

Milk intake in the formal market has dropped five percent in the last three months as effects of dry weather continue to be felt in the country.

Data from the Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) indicates that milk delivered to processors has declined from 56 million kilos in January to 54 million kilos in February before settling at 53 million kilos last month.

About 80 percent of milk in the country is sold unprocessed with processors only getting 20 percent.

The move has seen processors compete with informal milk traders in times of shortage.

“The volumes have been coming down because of the drought where we have witnessed a decline in formal intake from a high of 56 million kilos in January to a low of 53 million kilos last month,” said Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Andrew Tuimur.

This has forced processors to reconstitute powder in order to supplement the available volumes.

Kenya has been facing a prolonged dry spell after the short rains failed in October last year, a move that affected fodder fields

However, production volumes were maintained between October and December when farmers resorted to preserved feeds.