Smart Harvest - 30th January 2021

Saturday Smart harvest 1

Standard

SATURDAY JANUARY 30, 2021 The Standard FREE with, The Standard I Saturday, January 30, 2021

How I grew my yoghurt empire Pg2

Not for sale

Nine steps to running a thriving dairy enterprise Pg4

Your Companion In Agribusiness

& Technology

It has been a tough year for farmers but there are ventures you can bank on in the New Year Pg4-5

Dairy sector: The next frontier in agribusiness In today’s Value Chain series we explore the potential in the billion shilling industry and much more... Pg4-5

2 Smart harvest

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2021 The Standard

Value addition

Thirst for quality inspired my yoghurt making venture After failing in chicken project, Njeri Wairima has found success in yoghurt making and plans to expand to ghee and cheese

Vanilla, strawberry, mango, passion, pineapple, caramel and blackcurrant.

For those interested in making yoghurt she describes the process as complex, but doable. All you need, explains Wairima, is to continuously get new information to improve your yoghurt making skills.

Hygiene in the processing facility and where you source the raw materials is critical.

For this reason, Wairima closely works with farmers who sell milk to her.

By Nanjinia Wamuswa

nwamuswa@standardmedia.co.ke

A year ago, Njeri Wairima ventured into yoghurt project with gusto. Prior to yoghurt business, she was doing chicken farming but things did not work out for her.

“I think chicken farming is a good venture but not for me. I found it capital-intensive and sometimes the market would flood with chicken resulting in low profit margins or losses. After five years, I got tired and abandoned it. Now I am in dairy value addition,” she tells The Smart Harvest and Technology.

After months of investing labour, time and energy- in dairy business, Wairima says the yoghurt business is doing well. So why did she settle on yoghurt making?

Online research “I wanted to make for my children yoghurt free from additives or preservatives. Most of the ones in the market had additives and preservatives,” she explains.

Around that time, many people who had settled in Ruai and involved in dairy cattle were producing a lot of milk that had no market and was going into waste.

She saw an opportunity to start making yoghurt not only for her children, but also for sale.

Before delving into making yoghurt, Wairima did research online on dairy value addition.

Njeri Wairima at her shop in Ruai, Nairobi where she makes yoghurt.

[Collins Kweyu, Standard]

Art of making yummy yoghurt

Njeri Wairima at her yoghurt shop in Ruai in Nairobi.She sells sells a litre of yoghurt at Shs 150. [Collins Kweyu,Standard] “I got a lot of useful information online and from books. Even today, I still do a lot of reading and learning new things to improve on production.”

Satisfied that she’d gathered enough information, Njeri started with Sh1,000 to buy ingredients such as culture used to ferment milk, five litres of milk, packaging containers and flavours. She gave her first samples to family members and friends who after tasting, gave her thumbs up.

Encouraged by that positive feedback, Wairima dived into yoghurt making full throttle.

However, her immediate challenge was lack of enough capital.

Realising she couldn’t get more money to invest, Wairima started small.

“I got hope from the fact that there are people who have started with very little money but have made it. I was determined to grow,” she says.

She started by taking small orders from relatives, friends and within no time her market widened.

Today, she runs Sajys Farm Yoghurt in Ruai, along Kangundo Road. She processes between 100150 litres of yoghurt in a week and plans to increase to more than 200 litres to meet the high demand.

The yoghurt costs between Sh150-200 a litre. Though she makes yoghurt free from preservatives, she adds flavours like

Works with farmers “I closely monitor how the milk l use for making yoghurt is produced. I always insist on quality milk from my farmers because if anything goes wrong at the source, it will affect the final product,” she says.

Wairima also tests the milk after buying it to ensure it is of good quality.

On the secret of her success, just one year into the yoghurt venture, Wairima explains: “Consistence is key. I always make sure that every single customer becomes a repeat customer and refers others to me.

And, that has been possible because l have never compromised on quality of my yoghurts. Above all God has been gracious.”

Hurdles She markets her products online and this has proved right.

“Online marketing, has given me over 85 per cent of repeat customers, and counting,” she says.

Despite the success, Wairima explains she has also had a share of c h a l l e n ge s.

Fo r instance, at times getting enough milk is a challenge, especially during dry seasons.

Also, some suppliers, despite agreement to provide quality milk, add water to make more money.

In addition, during cold season, demand for yoghurts drops drastically.

But still she soldiers on.

Although Kenya has made good progress in dairy value addition, yoghurt remains most popular product.

Professor Arnold Onyango, Lecturer School of Food Science at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) says yoghurt has a simple technology that anyone can learn and make.

“More people consume yoghurt because they know it. It is possible many people don’t know ghee, butter and cheese among others, and don’t talk about them,” he said.

Cheese, butter, ghee and powder milk require a lot of investment.

Prof Onyango says value addition helps producers make more money than selling raw milk.

On average, he explains selling a litre of milk costs a farmer Sh 50, while same litre of yoghurt will cost Sh 200, exclusive of manufacturing costs.

“While milk can be kept for few days, the value added products will last for months,” he says.

He says another unique benefit, while some people will not take milk because they are lactose intolerant, same people are okay taking yoghurt.

He notes making yoghurt is simple, people can just learn online. He insists, most important thing is hygiene, to avoid contaminating the products.

Prof Onyango says yoghurt can be produced in less than a day. “It depends with kind of culture one is using. Some cultures take four to six hours while others 10-12 hours to ferment milk,” he says.

He shares basic ingredients for yoghurt making is milk and culture. Others are optional such as adding flavours and sugar. And cultures are available and affordable.

Prof Onyango says one can use big sufuria to pasteurize milk and makeshift incubator to control temperature during fermentation and fridge.

For yoghurt makers, Prof Onyango for quality yoghurt, one needs to buy milk from trusted sources.

He explains, “Our markets have seen incidents where people add hydrogen peroxide into milk. If such milk is used, the hydrogen-peroxide will kill the bacteria meant to make yoghurt.”

He advises yoghurt makers to source milk from suppliers approved by Kenya Dairy Board.

Prof Onyango says high taxes and long process of certification in government parastatals is choking small scale farmers who want to venture into yoghurt making.

Smart harvest 3

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2021 The Standard SPONSORED CONTENT

Working to secure your growth

Dairy Value Chain in Kenya: Tapping into livestock sector for economic growth

By Gerard Mutunga

Gnyele@standardmedia.co.ke

T

he livestock sector, as a part of the traditional food system in Kenya, occupies a considerable portion of the national economy. In the least, dairy value chain products are very important for Kenya’s cuisine. They are a vital source of nutrition and provide important livelihood opportunities for dairy farmers, processors, transporters, retailers and other actors in the dairy value chain.

The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its 17 Sustainable Develop- ment Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets, has become the universally endorsed framework accepted by all and applicable to all countries.

It is the anchor point to which countries peg their development agendas and a measure of how far they have come!

Demystifying, though the world’s population is growing rapidly and there are more and more mouths to feed. By 2030 we want to end hunger (SDG2) and ensure access to healthy, sustainable and safe food in sufficient quantities for everyone, while we also want to achieve the other SDGs, most notably those related to poverty, gender, inequality, sustainable production and consumption, climate action and protecting the environment; this requires a transformative change of our food systems, including livestock production.

In 2016, the International Dairy Federation (IDF) together with FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, signed a joint declaration, the Rotterdam Declaration, on the dairy industry’s contribution to the development of the planet. This declaration determines that the global dairy sector is committed to working towards fulfilling the UN sustainable development goals.

Within the livestock industry, the declaration states that the dairy industry helps supply the world’s population with healthy and safe food. The declaration emphasizes the dairy sector’s social and economic importance – especially in the third world. According to the UN, the sector employs about 80m forming the basis of 240m jobs worldwide. This means around 1bn people’s livelihoods are supported by the global dairy industry.

With the signature of the Rotterdam Declaration, FAO recognizes that the dairy sector has a legitimate place in a sustainable future.

Within our Kenyan economy, the sector contributes an estimated 4 per cent of national GDP, 14 per cent of agricultural GDP, and 44 per cent of livestock GDP. Provides livelihoods to 1.8M smallholder dairy farmers, In the social economic settings, it provides an estimated 750,000 direct jobs and 500,000 indirect jobs while the national per capita consumption of milk is around 110 liters, according to dairyafrica.com.

Within the vision 2030-development settings, Livestock are catalytic in helping rural house- holds achieve their livelihood objectives. First, they enhance human capital by providing access to food, continued good health, and labour for the pursuit of activities.

Second, they build social capital, strengthening the cultural diversity and heritage of some ethnic groups and populations. Third, they contribute to the stock of the natural capital that provides the resources and services needed to maintain and improve livelihoods.

Fourth, they increase physical capital, providing transport, draught power and alternative energy for households to support and improve their productivity. Fifth, they increase the financial capital of families, provide a mechanism for savings, and serve as liquid assets, Continued on page 7 >>

Dairy products on white wooden table. [Courtesy]

4 Smart harvest

Saturday, January 30, 2021 The Standard

Dairy sector outlook Nine key guides to running a successful dairy enterprise

Proper feeding entails feeding your dairy cows with feeds well constituted with carbohydrates, proteins, mineral salts and vitamins plus clean water.

D

airy farming has gained currency in Kenya thanks to increase in population and demand for quality milk.

With a litre of milk from the farm selling for as much as Sh60, the industry is lucrative. Most farmers have adopted semi- or zero grazing systems of production thus concentrating on production per cow. This means keeping a few cows which are highly productive. Our grandfathers were famous for keeping many heads of cattle with very little production. Some farmers have gone into raising and selling in-calf heifers at a premium of as high as Sh150,000. For those interested, it is prudent to bear in mind the following before you get into it: . Available da iry cow breeds The common breeds are Friesian (Friesian -Holstein), Ayrshire, Jersey and Guernsey. The genetic makeup coupled with good management of the cows are major determinant of milk production. It’s always advisable to start with a heifer(s) and raise it on your own.

This is because you will be able to feed it well and have it served on time. Buying a cow (already lactating/ in milk) may be tricky because the farmer may not be honest on why they are selling the cow. You can end up buying a sick or old cow that cannot even conceive. The cow(s) or heifer(s) that you intend to buy should be free of pests and diseases, identifiable using an ear tag or otherwise.

When buying dairy cows, always buy from an established farm with good record keeping. Always involve a vet in this process to avoid costly mistakes. The vet will examine the cows state of health and production, based on the records, and advise you accordingly. A black and white, brown or any other colour does not qualify a cow to be a dairy. The production and reproduction records of her parent and the findings of the vet about the cow come in handy. . Proper housing for dairy cows Cows require plenty of space for their comfort and subsequent production. The cow boma (unit) should have in place a feeding trough, water trough, gangway, sleeping area and milking parlour. The cow shed should be gently sloping, easy to clean/wash daily and secure from thieves and predators. Use locally available materials but consider durability. This is the first item to construct when starting a dairy farm. Its size depends on the number of cows that you want to keep. . How to feed your dairy cows Milk production is a factor of genetics and nutrition. When the genetics are right, correct feeding enhances continuous milk production across the lactation period. Proper feeding entails feeding your dairy cows with feeds well constituted with carbohydrates, proteins, mineral salts and vitamins plus clean water.

The quantities should be sufficient and be of good quality. This ensures that your cow is healthy, can give optimal milk quantities and remains fertile so as to get a calf per year.

Good quality silage and hay are good components for your cow feeds. Concentrates are critical for energy and protein. Always source your concentrates from a reliable supplier.

Water should be available ad libitum, as in throughout. This water should be water that you can drink. The feed and water troughs should be kept clean at all times to discourage growth of microbes that are detrimental to cows health. . Pests and diseases Ticks and worms are a bother in dairy cows.

Deworming at the right time and spraying with acari-

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cides keeps pests at bay. Some of the notorious diseases include; subclinical mastitis, milk fever, Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), East Coast Fever (ECF), Rift Valley Fever, Brucellosis, Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) among others. These diseases can be vaccinated against, are preventable or treatable. Some signs of a sick cow include; loss of appetite for food and water, a drop in milk production, dry muzzle, rough hair coat, lying down all the time and diarrhoea. Spend time with your cows daily and observe them keenly to know when they are not behaving normally. Always consult your Vet in case you suspect pests or diseases in your cows for prompt action.

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. What records to keep?

Individual and accurate cow records on birth dates, birth weights, sire and dam, milk records (per cow per milking), treatment records, feeding records and service dates. Proper records help you plan ahead, calculate the worth of your business and profit. . Adopt good milking routines Animals are creatures of routine. When good

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As a strategy, always deal with two vets so that when one is not available the other can attend to your cases including emergencies. routines are established and maintained the animal feels comfortable and relaxed.

When milking ensure this comfort is provided for optimum milk production.

You should therefore make an effort to ensure that your cows are milked at the same time daily and in the same familiar parlour. . Hire, train and motivate the right personnel The input resources in any commercial enterprise are critical for productivity and these include the human resources.

Established companies take a lot of care when hiring because they realise they can only be successful as their employees make them.

Unfortunately, many farmers go for the cheapest and most available help forgetting that ‘cheap is expensive.’

Such a help may not have the right aptitude to run a dairy operation successfully. You need to take much care to hire the right people, train them regularly and pay them an attractive salary. . Availability of market You need to know who to sell your milk to, volumes and prices as well as alternatives. You also need to know the potential buyers for your bull calves, in-calf heifers. This will give you an idea of your revenues projections and how to grow them. As you grow in your venture, think value addition. . The role of the Vet The vet comes in handy when setting up a dairy farm. Apart from doing your research, talking to a vet is very crucial. As a strategy, always deal with two vets so that when one is not available the other can attend to your cases including emergencies.

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[The author Dr Paul RN Kang’ethe (BVM, UoN) is the resident vet at FarmKenya]

Smart harvest 5

Saturday, January 30, 2021 The Standard

Hit by Covid-19 and economic shocks, dairy sector limps on with promise To ensure that the dairy sector remains vibrant and a preferred investment sector, the Kenya Dairy Board and other industry players have instituted several interventions BBy Peter Theuri

ptheuri@standardmedia.co.ke

When the year started, the dairy industry looked promising. Kenya was exporting nearly 47,000 kilogrammes of milk products in January, a figure that rose to 82,682 in February and then to 94,795 in March, Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) Data of July 2020 show.

Then the figures tanked.

In April, Kenya exported just over 10,000 kilogrammes of milk products, at a time when international travel restrictions hit top gear.

The figures looked worse for May and June, 5,169 and 5,488 kilogrammes respectively.

Even milk deliveries inside the country took a significant hit. The deliveries declined by three per cent in the first six months of 2020 compared to the same period last year.

However, the greatest drop was between April and July 2020 at five per cent.

Except for 2012, when the total annual intake of milk was 495 million litres, the annual consumption of milk, in the last ten years, has been comfortably above half a billion litres.

Statistics from KDB also show that Kenya leads in production of milk in the region, accounting for 41.3 per cent of the total milk produced in the East African Community in 2018. South Sudan came in second, contributing 27.1 per cent of EAC’s milk that year. Uganda (14.5 per cent) and Tanzania (13.8 per cent) only accounted for 28.3 per cent.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya, during a stakeholder breakfast engagement forum recently, said that the country is still producing well below the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recommended per capita of 220 litres per annum.

“Kenya is one of the biggest dairy sectors in Africa producing 5.2 billion litres per annum. In Kenya, the dairy sector, plays a huge role as a source of livelihood to 1.8 million smallholder farmers. The sector offers 750,000 people direct employment with 500,000 employed indirectly.

In addition, the dairy sector contributes four per cent to the National Gross Domestic Product (GDP); 12 per cent to the Agriculture GDP and 44 per cent to the livestock GDP. Its per capita consumption stands at 110 litres per annum,” said Mr Munya.

Vibrant sector Amid the dwindling numbers, the stakeholders came up with regulations that should see the sector revitalised, especially after a tough year. To ensure that the dairy sector remains vibrant and a preferred investment sector, the government, in conjunction with Kenya Dairy Board and other industry players, has instituted several interventions towards the sector.

Munya said they are improving the cooling infrastructure by installing up to 350 milk coolers each with a 300-litre capacity to farmer groups across the country. “This will lead to an improvement in milk quality as well as reduce post-harvest losses and thus improved profitability along the value chain,” said the CS. Munya also said there is a consideration that will see milk prices increase, putting more money in the farmers’ pockets.

“The dairy producer is one of the key cogs that moves the dairy sector. Following an outcry by farmers on low producer prices, the President, Uhuru Kenyatta through my Ministry directed that farm gate price should not be less than Sh33 less operational costs including transport, cooling and other administrative costs. This will ensure that our farmers achieve a favourable return on their dairy farming and thus make the sector more sustainable.”

To improve on the skills of dairy players to enable them manage better their businesses, the ministry, Kenya Dairy Board and other players have stepped up capacity building of the same particularly in the area of value addition and adoption of modern technology.

To enable the processor, play its critical roles, the government supported New KCC through an injection of Sh500 million to stabilise milk prices. It further injected an additional Sh500 million to support modernisation of its facilities located in different parts of the country.

1.8 million

Number of smallholder farmers in Kenya whose source of livelihood is dairy sector

President Uhuru Kenyatta on May 23, 2020 announced a Sh53.7 billion economic stimulus package to help the economy absorb the shocks of Covid-19. “I am confident the dairy sector also being one of the sectors affected by the pandemic will greatly benefit from this.”

“Regulatory framework remains key in the development and growth of any sector. Development of investment-friendly policies and regulations remains a key role of the national government. This is aimed at creating a conducive environment for business to thrive,” Munya told the stakeholders Dairy Board of Kenya statistics show that extensive dairy production systems in Kenya (large-scale farmers keeping up to 300 dairy cattle in paddocks and open grazing) contribute up to 15 per cent of total milk produced.

Intensive (zero grazing) systems contribute 60 per cent, with most of these small-scale farmers keeping three to five animals.

Semi intensive systems contribute up to 25 per cent. Here, animals are partly confined and grazed in fields.

Kenya’s estimated annual milk production of 5.2 billion litres is from 4.2 million dairy cattle (exotics and crosses), 14 million zebus, 2.9 million camels and 400,000 dairy goats.

THE NUMBERS

94, 795 kilograms

The amount Kenya was exporting of milk products in March according to Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) Data

10, 000 kilograms

The amount Kenya was exporting of milk products Kenya was exporting in April when international travel restrictions hit top gear.

495 million litres

In 2012, the total annual intake of milk in the country.

41.3 per cent

Data shows that Kenya leads in production of milk in the region, accounting for this amount of the total milk produced in the East African Community in 2018.

1.8 million

The number of small holder farmers in Kenya that earn from the the dairy sector.

750,000 people

The sector offers this number of people direct employment with 500,000 employed indirectly.

4 per cent

The dairy sector contributes this figure to the National Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

To improve on the skills of dairy players to enable them manage better their businesses, the Ministry, Kenya Dairy Board and other players have stepped up capacity building of the same particularly in the area of value addition and adoption of modern technology.

Breeding

Top four dairy breeds in Kenya: The good, the bad and the ugly A

sk any Kenyan the different dairy breeds they know and top on the list will be Friesian. Today, I will shed more light on this breed, focusing on its positive and negative attributes.

Friesian This breed is also known as Holstein Friesian, it is the largest dairy breed of cattle. It originated from northern Holland and Friesland. Its chief characteristics are large size and black and white spotted markings, sharply defined rather than blended. These cattle are believed to have been selected for dairy qualities for about 2,000 years. For this reason, they are top notch milk producers. The breed was first brought to Kenya by the colonial government for milk production in the then white highlands where it was valued highly for its milk-producing ability. Because of this, it became the most popular breed and the most known to farmers. However, despite the milk production prowess of

this breed, the breed is susceptible to infections in the tropics such as East coast fever among other tickborne infections.

Nightmare disease Tick-borne infections pose the worst nightmare to a farmer who keeps Holstein Friesians. The pure Holsteins are only suitable to be kept in highland areas because of low heat tolerance of the breed. The only requirement to keep this breed is sufficient feed. An adult pure Friesian in good health is a heavy feeder and can feed on 90-110 kilos of fresh feed per day to produce 40-60 litres of milk per day but the milk has low butter fat content. Without proper balanced nutrition, the production levels will remain low and the animal in poor health. In order to adapt this breed to the tropical climates, there have been successful attempts to cross Friesians with local breeds or other dairy breeds, this gives forth a hardy animal but brings down production.

The most innovative way is to utilise the Friesian breed to

build a dual-purpose beef breed by crossing Friesians with beef bulls.

Such beef breeds get a large body frame with good muscle cover leading to good carcass weights at slaughter. If you do not have sufficient feed and a feeding plan, this is not your breed of choice.

The Guernsey The colour of the Guernsey varies from yellow to reddish-brown with white patches. They have a finely tuned temperament, not nervous or irritable. Physically the breed has good dairy traits and the cow weighs 450kg to 500kg while the bull weighs 600kg to 700kg. They have an attractive carriage with a graceful walk, a strong back, and broad loin, strong, attached udder extending well forward, with the quarters evenly balanced and symmetrical. This helps with the breed having low risk of getting mastitis. Heifers generally come into milk at about two years of age. The average weaning weight of heifers and bull calves is 75kg. The Guernsey is also meant for high potential and transitional areas from the high potential zones. They are slightly more tolerant to high temperatures compared to the Friesians and are also high feeders. The ideal

Guernsey breed consumes about 75-90 kilos of feed to produce 30-40 litres of milk per day. On diseases, the breed is equally susceptible to tick-borne diseases like the Friesian. Not many farmers can differentiate the Guernsey from the Aryshire. The adult Guernsey is bigger than the Ayrshire and the Ayrshires tend to have darker colour on their heads and around the eyes.

Ayrshires This breed is originally from Scotland. It weighs about 450 to 550 kilos and is considered a mediumsized dairy breed. Ayrshires are red and white, and purebred Ayrshires only produce red and white offspring. The red varies from reddishbrown mahogany like colour that varies in shade from very light to dark. This breed produces 20-30 litres per day with an average daily feeding need of 60 kilograms of fresh fodder. Crosses of this breed are common in Kenya and are widely adapted to medium to high potential areas. Ayrshires can do well in

central Kenya highlands and parts of the Rift valley. They are also very susceptible to diseases in the tropics but not like the Holstein Friesians.

They respond better to treatment and with lowered risk to mastitis. Their milk has an average butter fat content and can be used for production of cheese among other products.

Other traits that make Ayrshires attractive to farmers include the vigour of Ayrshire calves, which makes them easy to raise with higher calf survival rates. Ayrshire bulls also make quality beef carcasses.

Jersey This breed is closely associated with Jersey Islands. It is typically light brown, though this can range from being almost grey to dull black. They can also have white patches which may cover much of the animal. A pure Jersey will however always have a black nose bordered by an almost white muzzle.

The Jersey is a hardy breed that adapts to a wide range of climatic

areas with good resistance to various infections. The Jersey also has hard black feet, and is much less prone to lameness compared to other dairy breeds. The breed in Kenya is kept widely in the coastal counties and can survive in the western belts of Kenya under hot climates. A purebred Jersey weighs averagely 350 kilos with a daily milk production of about 22 litres per day on about 60 kilos of forage per day. The jersey produces quality of milk unlike quantity with the highest butter fat content of 5.3 per cent. The milk is ideal for making butter, cheese thus offering greater nutritional value. For this reason, Jersey milk commands a premium price in many markets.

Jersey cows have little or no calving problems, greater fertility, a shorter calving interval, and earlier maturity. They also stay in the herd longer than any other dairy breed due to their hardy nature. It is a good breed to invest in if you have access to the market niche or would want to do product value addition at the farm level.

[The author Dr Moses Olum is a research officer at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation]

6 Smart harvest

Saturday, January 30, 2021 The Standard

Livestock keeping How policy shift brought dairy industry to its knees

The State has in recent years tried to come up with new regulations to curb the flourishing informal milk business. [Sammy Omingo,Standard]

T

he removal of government supported services in the early 1990s led to decline in performance of the dairy industry, states the National Dairy Development Policy, 2013.

Included in the drive to reduce or eliminate government’s direct services to the

sector, was termination of KCC’s monopoly in milk marketing in urban areas following recommendations in the Dairy Master Plan of 1991.

KCC (now New KCC) was formed in 1925 to process milk generated from white settler farms as Africans were not allowed to do dairy farming

then.

While the strategy to liberalise the industry led to licensing of independent milk processors, it opened up the sale of unprocessed and raw milk in the market. Currently, informal traders handle close to 80 per cent of locally produced milk. Paradoxically, the government has in recent years tried to come up with new regulations to curb the flourishing informal milk business. new regulations In 2019, the Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) made a hasty retreat after dairy farmers objected to among other things, heavy fines imposed against defaulters. The regulations carried fines of up to Sh500,000 for anyone found dealing in dairy produce in an unregulated manner. At the time, KDB’s manag-

ing director Margaret Kibogy stated the rules were meant to cushion consumers from adverse effects of contaminated milk.

The rules have since been replaced by The Dairy Industry (Registration, Licensing, Cess and Levy) Regulations, 2020, with revised general penalties for illegal dealers in dairy products.

“A person who contravenes any of the provisions of these Regulations for which a penalty is not provided commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding Sh10,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both,” states the new rules.

A regulatory impact assessment stated that the new rules are aimed at capturing “important statistics on the dairy

industry, including the number of dairy farmers and operators...”

Still, it will be an uphill task to undo effects of the industry’s liberalisation that not only affected sale of dairy products but reduced quality of livestock as well. Prior to 1991, artificial insemination officers would crisscross the country providing quality insemination services to dairy farmers.

However, in line with Sessional Paper No. 1 of 1986 on Economic Management for Renewed Growth, the insemination, veterinary clinical and dipping services were removed, giving way to unaffordable private services.

At the height of the government-led artificial insemination services, the country attained a peak of 579,000 inseminations in 1979 but these dropped to a

low of 68,339 inseminations between 1979 and 2002. The policy formulation document projects that Kenya needs at least a million artificial insemination services for the industry to stabilise. Following the services’ withdrawal, dairy farmers were faced with high input cost and lack of good genetics.

The collapse of the hitherto elaborate milk collection system left farmers with no organised market and a lot of unsold milk. Unfortunately, even the private milk processors fared no better as several collapsed with millions of shillings owed to farmers. To address the breeding shortfalls, the policy recommends an audit of all institutions in livestock breeding chain to harmonise their functions and encourage proper animal record keeping.

[Peter Muiruri]

Job search pain pushed graduate to dairy business Josphat Gititu, 36, now lives a comfortable life after multiplying two dairy cows he was gifted by his father to 13.

BBy Mercy Kahenda

mkahenda@standardmedia.co.ke

After completing his electrical engineering diploma course at Kisumu Polytechnic, 36-year-old Josphat Gititu started looking for a job.

Securing a white-collar job proved hard, and he opted to look after his father’s dairy cows.

While taking care of his father’s stock, he was invited for a dairy farming training organised by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. After the training, he was inspired to venture into dairy farming.

Gititu was gifted two dairy cows by his father, which he sold and bought a Friesian dairy cow.

Today, he has 13 dairy cows.

He rears the cows on a plot measuring 20 by 30 metres at White House Estate in Nakuru town.

Patience pays “Farming was never my dream venture, but it has turned out to be lucrative. I have no regrets doing it,” he told Smart Harvest during a visit to the farm.

Each dairy cow produces 25 litres of milk daily. He sells the milk locally at Sh60 per litre.

Smart tips Immaculate Maina,

Nakuru agriculture executive, says to boost milk production, farmers are trained on pasture production.

For example, to supplement protein to dairy, she says farmers are encouraged to plant potato.

“Health of the herd can only improve if farmers feed their animals with the right feeds and in correct quantities. We are encouraging growth of pasture rich in proteins.”

He pasteurises the milk before selling it. “There is readily available market for milk. The high demand encourages me to do more to produce sufficient amount of milk to satisfy my clients,” he says.

Gititu says feeding is vital in dairy production as it determines quality and quantity of milk produced.

He feeds the cows ad libitum (continuously) in the morning, noon and evening on large quantity and high quality feeds, and

ensures they drink adequate clean water.

The dairies are given salt that is hung on the feeding troughs to supplement minerals and boost their appetite.

On the farm, salt bars are hung at paddock hedges for the cows to lick while water troughs are supplied with clean drinking water for the dairies.

“To get high quality milk in great quantity, you must give dairy cows feeds in right amounts, supplemented by minerals,” he says.

Each cow on the farm feeds on an average 16 kilos of silage daily, supplemented by 30 kilos of sunflower and cotton seeds.

To supplement feeds for the dairies, he grows hay on a fouracre parcel of land in Solai, Subukia sub-county, in Nakuru County.

He normally harvests the hay and preserves it for the dry spell.

At the farm, hay is mixed with maize jam supplemented with dairy meal, maize germ, soya, cotton, sunflower and wheat bran.

The herd is fed on dry matter to avoid wastage and for maintenance purposes. Dry matter contains less water.

During milking, he feeds the animals at least three kilos of dairy meal.

“I feed my dairy cows with dairy meal in the morning and evening to boost milk production,” he tells Smart Harvest and Technology.

Josphat Gititu tends to his dairy at White House Estate, in Nakuru County. On the farm, salt bars are hung at at paddock hedges for the cows to lick while water troughs are supplied with clean drinking water for the dairies. [Kipsang’ Joseph, Standard He regularly vaccinates the livestock to prevent diseases like mastitis, pneumonia, and anaplasmosis, especially during rainy season.

Diseases like East Coast Fever are managed through regular dipping practices, including deworming, after every four months.

Gititu has a veterinary expert who visits his farm to vaccinate his herd, and advises on best

To get high quality milk in great quantity, you must give dairy cows feeds in right amounts, supplemented by minerals Farmer Josphat Gititu

farming methods.

“Farming cannot succeed without knowledge. I get guidance from experts who not only vaccinate the animals but also advise me on feeding, hygiene and record keeping,” he says.

The farm also acts as a training field for upcoming farmers and students undertaking veterinary courses.

He says heifers are inseminated after 18 months. He says natural breeding methods can be used, but advises farmers to avoid inbreeding.

The farmer buys semen from an agrovet in Nakuru at Sh3,000.

But at times, the quality of semen supplied through Artificial Insemination is substandard, an issue that affects breeding, he says.

“I am a victim of substandard semen. On several occasions, I

have bought infertile semen that results in death of calves immediately after birth. At times, the cow does not conceive leading to losses,” he says.

He cites poor quality feeds in the market as a major challenge in dairy farming.

“Farmers are falling into the hands of crafty feeds manufacturers who sell products that are of poor quality at high prices,” he says.

The other challenges, he says, are high taxation on animal feeds and fluctuation of milk prices.

He urges the government to provide an enabling environment for investors to create employment for youth.

Gititu’s future plan is to increase his herd to produce enough milk for clients that are increasing in the cosmopolitan town.

Smart harvest 7

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Working to secure your growth

The dairy value chain in economic Big 4 agenda << Continued from page 3

or as credit col- lateral for securing livelihood goals. Sixth, they act as an important resilience and consumption smoothing strategy against external shocks.

Across the World, the manufacturing sector has played an important role in driving economic development by stimulating and sustaining high productive growth, boosting employment opportunities for semi-skilled labour and building country competitiveness through exports.

Very few countries in the world have managed to industrialize and develop without the manufacturing sector playing a leading role.

Kenya, like many other developing countries, has not managed to develop a robust manufacturing sector and growth has been primarily driven by the agriculture and services sectors respectively. The country has thus experienced a premature

deindustrialization as evinced by the decline in GDP contribution by the manufacturing sector that was at a paltry 8.4% in 2017 and 9.2 per cent in 2016.

Deindustrialization has been characterized by a rising share of the services sector in GDP and fueled debate as to whether services can replace the manufacturing sector as an engine of economic growth.

This amplifies the significance of exploiting the manufacturing opportunities within the dairy value chain sector.

In many ways, Kenya has always been on the fore to achieve desire development. Thus, Vision 2030, the Kenya Industrial Transformation Programme (KITP) and most recently Big Four Agenda have all been designed by the Government to revamp the manufacturing sector.

A keen look unveils enormous manufacturing opportunities within the dairy value chain;

including feed manufacturing, the milk and milk products production itself, chemicals among others.

In addition, a number of trends such as the growth of a healthy snacking culture, higher food consumption outside of the home and the growth of online and mobile shopping are changing the way food is being bought and consumed.

Dairy is at the forefront of these trends as a convenient and relatively cheap source of protein.

Operatives within this value chain must adapt to these trends through better use of technology and data to target customers with tailored offers and ensure that they can match supply and demand in smaller stores through better inventory management.

Moreover, At the producer level, emerging technologies and the ‘datafication’ of agriculture are providing farmers with the potential to obtain quantifiable information to continuously measure and monitor farm

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Animals feed in one of the deeps at Eldoret Technical Training Institute Kapseret area in Uasin Gishu County. Most farmers prefer turning to dairy farming instead of planting maize which they claimed is not profitable to them . [Peter Ochieng , Standard] operations and react accordingly.

Farmers who can complement these technologies with suitable operational and commercial practices could see prof itability increase significantly.

These technologies can also help farmers expand production in a profitable and

sustainable manner.

Lastly, the Kenyan economy has experienced a tremendous growth over the last 10 years and increased milk production accompanied by entry into regional markets such as East Africa Community (EAC) will spur growth of the dairy industry, resulting in increased returns for dairy farmers.

The expected growth will further lead to increased domestic consumption of processed milk and milk products therefore; the country will need a good breeding policy, which can promote a vibrant domestic livestock breeding industry to diversify and promote exports of Animal genetic resources.

Kenya strives to address climate change in agriculture

T

he country has made strategic strides in impacts of climate change on the agricultural addressing the impact of climate change sector. In Kenya, efforts to transform the agriculin agriculture through various frameworks ture sector have resulted in key reforms targeting (for example, Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture high potential industrial crops, such as sugarcane, Strategy, 2017-2026). tea, cotton, and coffee, among others. The sugar These frameworks recognize the agriculture sec- sector is an incredibly important sector with tor’s contribution to the national Gross Domestic untapped potential for growth that is capable of Product (GDP), but also its vulnerability to the improving the livelihoods of locals. That notwithadverse effects of climate change and climate standing, production of agricultural commodities, variability. such as, sugarcane, continues to suffer as a result More strategic steps are needed if Kenya is to of challenges related to extreme economic and realize significant gains and opportunities in climatic shifts, creating uncertainty for the sector. addressing climate change and particularly, Based on our 50 years’ supply chain experience, achieving net-zero emissions as required by the Solidaridad recognizes that building a sustainable Paris Agreement. sector requires multi-stakeholder approaches, Implementing partners are diligently working adoption of innovative technologies, and deploywith public and private sector actors to leverage ing good agricultural practices. Such actions on global experience to link best practices and include climate smart practices such as water and technologies from Brazil, India and South Africa to waste management, investment in flood protecsupport business cases and promote an enabling tion, resilient crop varieties, sustainable soil manmarket for the agriculture sector in Kenya. agement, and new infrastructure. Similarly, access At Solidaridad, we are focused on supporting to finance, resources, and technologies, are critical natural resource management and reduced green- for a climate-resilient and low-carbon agriculture house gases in key sectors, such as the sugar sec- sector. tor. Importantly, the Kenya Agriculture Sector Source: solidaridadnetwork.org Growth and Transformation Strategy (ASTGS) recognizes the role of the private sector as a driver of and investor in agricultural transformation. It highlights private finance as a critical missing link needed to bridge the infrastructure investment gap in the agriculture sector.

However, this can only be fulfilled if governments provide an enabling framework that facilitates private investment.

The Africa’s agricultural transformation demands that more countries go beyond increasing productivity to addressing the negative Locals planting mangrove trees at the coastal region. [Courtesy]

8 Smart harvest

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Workers at New Nginda Dairy cooling plant which was officially opened by Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria. It is the third leading milk producer in the county. [Boniface Gikandi, Standard]

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Farmers affiliated to the 38 cooperative societies have been reaping profits from sale of milk, even as they enjoy guaranteed price.

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Murang’a County has potential to produce more milk if adequate measures including provision of livestock feeds are put in place, industry players say.

In the past four years, farmers affiliated to the 38 cooperative societies in the county have been reaping profits from the sale of milk, with contracted processors paying a guaranteed price of Sh35 per litre.

The county produces 300,000 litres of milk daily, out of which between 80,000 and 130,000 finds way into Murang’a Cooperative Creameries founded by Governor Mwangi wa Iria.

The facility with a capacity to process over 250,000 litres of milk a day started operating a year ago.

Some farmers sell their milk to independent processors based in Kangema and Othaya.

Murang’a County Cooperative Creameries Union chairman Julius Maina says the processing plant has impacted the lives of farmers positively save for delayed payments.

“Lack of animal feeds is the major challenge farmers affiliated to the 32 cooperatives face,” said Mr Maina.

Other challenges include frequent outbreak of foot and mouth disease that has claimed tens of animals and lack of knowledge of how to store feeds. But despite these hurdles, there are plenty of lessons to learn from the cooperatives.

The journey to transform the sector started in 2014 after Murang’a County Government converted Kenyatta Mareira Farmers Training Centre in Kigumo into a dairy cows breeding facility.

Milk production

Vaccination programmes Iria, a former managing director at New KCC, promised during election campaigns to help families have a heifer each and guaranteed milk price.

This has been actualised in some homes.

Iria said a plant to manufacture animal feeds would be established at a cost of Sh10 million to help farmers get quality feeds.

“I am committed to serving dairy farmers as part of the transformation of the country through financial empowerment,” said the governor.

Murang’a Cooperative Creameries is managed by Paul Macharia, a former Murang’a County Executive Committee member in charge of Water, Irrigation and Cooperatives.

Chairperson Trade and Cooperative Committee, Jecinta Ng’ang’a at the Murang’a County Assembly said they had been working round-theclock to improve the sector.

“The committee has been holding a series of meetings with the farmers to ensure the animals are vaccinated when there are disease outbreaks,” said Ng’ang’a.

Murang’a County Creameries process 40,000 litres of milk daily.

Two months ago, the management of the factory installed a yoghurt processing line that produces 5,000 litres per day.

According to Macharia, there are plans to expand the processing facility to cope up with milk production.

 The leading societies in production of milk between July and December last year are:

2,557,162 litres Kangari United

1,988,983 litres Kahuro

1,532,403 litres New Nginda

1,036,931 litres Kigoro

811,957 litres

Central Dairies Kinyona

Kenya Dairy Board official tests milk intercepted milk in Murang’a during a crackdown.The move has helped control illicit milk industry. [Boniface Gikandi, Standard]