Kenya has recently become a frontier market for milk exports from Europe, a development that is posing a threat to the region’s farmers and processors.
The EU’s leading milk producers account for a large chunk of the West African market, especially for milk powders. The bloc has now been looking to East Africa, especially Tanzania and Kenya, for the surplus milk powder generated by a sharp increase in milk production amid flat consumption growth.
However, a parliamentary committee wants the importation of powdered milk in the East African region stopped to save the local industry.
This is after the committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation found that in 2018, the Government imported 70m litres of liquid milk and 10 million Kilogrammes of powdered milk.
In January 2019, the ministry imported 15 million litres of liquid milk and 1.5 million Kilogrammes of powdered milk.
“At this rate, we see our dairy industry in limbo. We want to demand that the Government stops this trend immediately and seek ways to improve milk production in the country,” said Emmanuel Wangwe, committee vice chairman.
Mr Wangwe noted that the country has a surplus of milk production has
“The continuous importation of powdered milk is undermining dairy farmers. It will deny them a livelihood just as it has happened in the coffee and sugarcane industry,” Wangwe asserted.
Githunguri MP Gabriel Kago said importation of raw milk from Uganda has badly affected the Kenyan farmer.
“Our farmers cannot be able to compete with milk coming from Uganda since their production is low,” Kago said.
At the same time, the committee has welcomed the decision by the Kenya Dairy Board to withdraw controversial milk regulations that sparked a public outcry.