Kenya has surpassed Egypt to become the largest producer of milk in Africa, according to Principal Secretary for Livestock Production Jonathan Mueke.

Speaking in an interview with NTV, Mueke revealed that Kenya's milk output has risen from 4.6 billion litres to 5.4 billion litres, placing the country ahead of Egypt in continental rankings. This represents a 3.5% increase compared to the previous year and marks a third consecutive year of rising milk production in the country. It also sets a new record for the sector.

"We always oscillate between Egypt and Kenya, and right now, we are ahead. We grew from about 4.6 billion litres to 5.4 billion litres right now," he said.

He also credited the adoption of sexed semen technology, which allows farmers to produce female calves with 95% accuracy, thereby boosting dairy herd sizes.

"Since we started our mass vaccination exercise, fewer of our cattle are getting foot and mouth disease, and that way we can produce more. So, average production per cow has gone up by about three litres per cow per day," Mueke said.

Mueke further highlighted the government's subsidy on milk coolers, noting that the equipment has helped farmers reduce post-harvest losses caused by milk's high perishability. He said the initiative has strengthened value chains and improved incomes for smallholder producers.

The PS underscored that these combined measures—vaccination, sexed semen technology, and cold storage subsidies—have positioned Kenya as a continental leader in dairy production, while enhancing food security and farmer livelihoods.

Additionally, Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced a nationwide crackdown on milk hawking, warning that the unregulated sale of raw milk poses a growing public health risk and continues to weaken Kenya's formal dairy sector.

Speaking in Nairobi during the flagging off of bulk milk coolers for dairy cooperatives, Kagwe said the government would move aggressively to streamline milk distribution and strengthen traceability systems in the country's dairy value chain.

- Dairy Business Middle East & Africa

Kenya now biggest milk producer in Africa

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