Dairy industry wants State to reintroduce school milk

Money Markets

 

The dairy industry expect that such measures will increase milk consumption from the current levels. PHOTO | FILE 

By GERALD ANDAE

The dairy industry wants the government to reintroduce the State-funded school milk programme as a way of increasing consumption of the commodity.

The Eastern and Southern Dairy Association says Kenya and other African countries should provide budget allocations for such interventions to enhance production, processing and consumption of dairy products in the continent.

“We expect that such measures will increase milk consumption from the current levels,” said executive director Peter Ngaruiya.

He said there has been a slowdown in milk processing and consumption due to a lack of sustained government support. The lobby is banking on the forthcoming African dairy fair to make a pitch for state interventions.

“The dairy conference and exhibition will provide the region with an opportunity to seek ways of either sustaining or increasing this growth through a number of intervention measures,” said Mr Ngaruiya.

The dairy conference starts Wednesday at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi.

The event will also seek ways of addressing the existing weak industry marketing channels, and the means through which eastern and southern African countries can strengthen existing milk production structures to conform to world best practices.

Mr Ngaruiya said the conference would act as the perfect trigger for growth of the 600,000 smallholder dairy farmers, over 80 dairy cooperatives and more than 200 dairy farmers’ self-help groups across Kenya.