The Kenyan government has begun the distribution and installation of bulk milk coolers to counties in order to accelerate transformation in the dairy sector by increasing production and cushioning farmers against post-harvest loss.
The initiative was kicked off last month by President William Ruto in Meru County with the distribution of the first batch of 15 bulk milk coolers to farmer-owned cooperatives. A total of 230 coolers are set to be distributed across 40 counties.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Sen. Mutahi Kagwe, today led the distribution of an additional 8 bulk milk coolers to dairy farmer cooperatives under the Livestock Value Chain Support Project. The project is aimed at facilitating the transformation of smallholder farmers’ systems that will enable their transition from subsistence to commercial farming through increased value addition and market participation.
Speaking at the flag-off in Nyeri, the CS said the coolers will be pivotal in enhancing value addition and cooperative milk handling capacity, which is a key part in addressing infrastructural challenges that have hampered the dairy industry.
“Dairy farmers across the country play a significant role in contributing to the country’s milk basket. Therefore, the supply of these milk coolers will not only boost storage but also improve milk quality, marketability, and ultimately farmer incomes, which is our primary goal. The 230 milk coolers will increase national chilling capacity by 475,000 litres daily,” said CS Kagwe.
In efforts to boost the dairy sector, the CS said the government will invest in both private and public milk processors to ensure that all milk produced by farmers is collected, processed for the local market and exported to other markets.
The dairy industry is a backbone of Kenya’s agricultural economy, contributing 4% to the GDP and supporting over 2 million people directly and indirectly. In 2024, Kenya produced an estimated 5.3 billion litres of milk, 80% of which came from smallholder farmers. Each year, the country loses an estimated 6% of marketed milk to post-harvest losses which is approximately 175 million litres per year valued at Ksh. 7.9 billion.
The Ministry projects to export 1 billion litres of milk annually, generate 500,000 jobs in the sector, double milk production from the current 5.3 billion litres annually to 10 billion litres by 2027 and utilize 70% of the current processing capacity.
The CS, however, noted that to achieve this, issues of productivity, inadequate breeding stocks and feeding, diseases and pests, poor infrastructure, post-harvest losses, and emerging challenges occasioned by climate change must be addressed efficiently in order to maximize the farmers’ efforts.
He added that the government intends to lease available arable public land for large scale farming of fodder, sunflower and other requisite ingredients that will bring down the cost of production to scale up dairy productivity.
“We must adopt practical and viable interventions to transform the dairy sector. We must synergize our efforts to increase production and productivity through commercialization of pasture and fodder production, enhance production of quality sexed semen, and a mass livestock vaccination drive that will ensure that our meat and dairy products meet international standards and qualify to sell on their shelves,” he added.