Milk production to stabilize by August

Milk production has increased marginally in the country since the rains began in May this year.

But consumers will have to wait till August this year for normal milk supply to resume and prices to fully stabilize.

“With the onset of rains at the beginning of May 2017 there is a slight increase in milk production of between 10-20%. This trend is expected to grow slowly due to the poor distribution and low intensity of these rains,” said Margaret Kibogy, Managing Director at Kenya Dairy Board.

On a normal season, the country would process about 50 million litres of milk every month. But the prolonged drought reduced this amount by half.

The Kenya Dairy Board says the current rains have not been sufficient to improve animal fodder.

The board is however optimistic about the current measures put in place by the government to address the drop in production.

The importation of 9,000 metric tons of powder milk is one such measure, despite being limited in supply.

On arrival the milk powder is expected to yield 76 million litres to be consumed within 30 to 45 days.

“The approved import quantities put together with current raw milk supply of 50 percent will therefore ensure normal processed milk supply over a period of three months when normal supplies is expected to be fully restored,” she stressed.

With stability in milk volumes, the prices of milk for a half a litre packet would go back to an average of Sh45 for the fresh milk brand, and Sh50 for the long life brand.

According to the Kenya Dairy Board, the country produces an estimated 5.2 billion litres of milk per year, with consumption averaging between 50 and 75 million litres per month.

Ms Kibogy spoke during celebrations to mark 90 years of the Delamere brand in Kenya where the firm announced the expansion of its product offering, with the launch of a new range of fruit yoghurt.

Additional reporting by Sophie Kinoti