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: 09 July 2018; Hits: 7842

Government seeking to unlock milk export to Zambia

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The government through the ministries of Agriculture and Trade will host top Zambian officials this month in a bid to solve the outstanding trade issues that have made it difficult to export dairy among other products to the southern Africa country.

Zambian Dairy Processors Association (ZDPA) had banned dairy products from Kenya complaining that Kenya’s standards for raw milk did not measure up to World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) health standards, a charge Nairobi vigorously opposed.

However, High Commissioner to Zambia and Malawi Sophie Kombe said negotiations have been going on for some time to resolve the stalemate.

“Officials from Zambia’s ministry of Livestock are expected in Kenya this month to discuss the issue and solve the stalemate,” said Ms Kombe, who is also Kenya’s permanent representative to Comesa.

Though it might take time because of the difference in standards applied in Nairobi and Lusaka, there is hope that a solution will be arrived at to recover the export market.

According to ZDPA officials, Kenya’s milk has a level of bacteria that’s beyond the Zambia’s required maximum. Zambia allows total bacteria count (TBC) of 200,000 while Kenya follows the international benchmark of one million TBC.

Zambia also has a problem with Kenya’s palm oil over rules of origin. Kenya imports crude palm oil, mainly from Asia and processes it for domestic use while the suplurs is exported.

The country does not grow its own palm trees. Last year, Trade Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo held bilateral talks with Zambian officials in Lusaka over the two matters.

Kenya wants the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) bloc, which Kenya and Zambia are members, to come up with a common standard agreeable to all to deal with such Non-Tariff Barriers.

Last year Comesa said it would engage the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Zambian government to resolve the stalemate.

Comesa director for trade customs and monetary affairs Francis Mangeni said experts from FAO, the ministries of Commerce, Trade and Industry as well as Agriculture from both countries would meet to sort out the issue.

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: 09 July 2018; Hits: 6751

New Kenya Cooperative Creameries increases milk prices by four shillings to benefit smallholder farmers

The New Kenya Cooperative Creameries has announced an increment in milk prices from Sh36 per liter to between Sh38 and Sh40 as it seeks to enhance its market share nationally to 40 per cent and benefit over 160,000 smallholder farmers.

In this, the milk processor is set to increase milk sales from farmers in the country from Sh4.5bn to Sh6bn following the upgrade of its plants in Dandora, Sotik, Eldoret and Uasin Gishu at a cost of one billion shillings.

According to data from the Kenya Dairy Board, the state owned dairy processor has increased its share in the market from 23 per cent to 35 per cent since 2016 after upgrading of factories in Eldoret and Dandora.

The New KCC is upgrading the Sotik factory at a cost of Sh200m and this will enable it increase the factory’s processing capacity from the current 60,000 liters to 100,000 liters of raw milk per day.

In this, dairy farmers in the region are set to see upturn in their income from Sh850m to about 1.5bn in a year according to data from the processor.

Kisii County gives farmers free milk coolers to up income

Bomet farmer earns Sh12,600 a day from dairy farming

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Farmers delivering milk to a factory. Photo: courtesy

The factory’s equipment was last upgraded 36 years ago in 1982 with farmers from Kericho, Nyamira, Kuresoi, Nakuru and Bomet delivering their milk to the plant.

The quantity of milk delivered to dairy processors recorded a significant drop of 17.4 per cent from 648.2m liters in 2016 to 535.7m liters in 2017 according to the Economic Survey 2018.

Similarly, the quantity of processed milk and cream from processing plants decreased by 8.5 per cent and that of butter and ghee declined by 22 per cent

Production of cheese however, increased from 311.2 tonnes in 2016 to 338.3 tonnes in 2017.

The dairy sector in the country accounts for 14 per cent of the total agricultural GDP and six to eight per cent of the country’s total GDP.

According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the dairy industry employs one million people at the farm level, 500,000 directly and 750,000 in support services.

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: 02 July 2018; Hits: 15668

Government asks farmers to grow more hay for export to Djibouti market

The Kenyan Government through the ministry of agriculture has announced plans to export all the hay produced from the country to Djibouti after striking a deal with the Horn of Africa nation.

In this, the ministry is asking farmers to plant more grass especially Boma Rhodes variety for sale just like other cash crops.

Currently, Kenya exports tea, coffee, fruits, flowers and vegetables. Tea remains the leading export earner with earnings increasing by 18.3 per cent to Sh147.3bn last year.

In 2017, horticultural export earnings maintained an upward trend at Sh113.3bn, accounting for 21.4 per cent of the total value of domestic exports according to the 2018 economic survey report.

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HAY FARMING IN KENYA

Hay

Boma Rhodes is a grass variety used for hay making. It does well in areas with less than 900mm of rainfall per annum in altitudes of between 600 to 2000m above sea level. It performs well in loamy fertile soils.

The grass can be planted by using either seeds or root splits and is sown when the soil is loose. At planting, make furrows 25cm apart and drill the seeds in at a rate of 12kg per hectare (2.5 acres) and cover the soil lightly.

Apply nitrogen fertilizer during heavy rains at the rate of 100kg per ha.

Harvesting of the grass is done as soon they start flowering and is cut close to the ground to stimulate spreading.

An acre of land can produce 200 to 250 bales per season. In this, a farmer harvesting three times in a year can reap up to 600 to 750 bales per year.

A bale of hay retails at Sh200 meaning this type of farming can earn Sh120,000 to Sh150,000 per year, Sh60,000 more than an what maize farming earns with the same piece of land.

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