Dairy farmers back imports directive
Workers at a dairy farm in Nandi County. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- There have been concerns that milk products suspected to be imported from Europe and elsewhere find their way into Kenya through Uganda.
Stakeholders in the dairy sector now want authorities to move with speed and implement President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directives on milk imports that have disadvantaged producers.
Tuesday, the President directed the Treasury to impose a 16 percent tax on milk products from outside the East African Community and ordered the Kenya Bureau of Standards and police to impound counterfeit milk.
There have been concerns that milk products suspected to be imported from Europe and elsewhere find their way into Kenya through Uganda.
“Kenya produces about 5.2 billion litres of milk while production in Uganda is 2.5 billion litres so they don’t have surplus milk to export.
“It appears that the product is being imported from countries outside the EAC and being dumped in the region where it is packaged,” said Meru Dairy Cooperative Union executive officer Kenneth Gitonga, adding that the President’s directives should be implemented to save the farmers.
