- Tuzo milk is retailing at Sh53 from an average of Sh48. Ilara is selling at Sh55 from Sh48 while Molo is at Sh51 from Sh50 and Fresha at Sh50 from Sh45.
- A 1.5 litre tin of powder milk in Eastleigh is selling at between Sh2,000 to Sh2,300 while latto milk from Uganda is selling at Sh950 per carton.
Image: ERIC OMONDI
Milk prices have gone up by between Sh5 to Sh10 for a 500 ml packet, a spot check by the Star on Tuesday revealed.
Tuzo milk is retailing at Sh53 from an average of Sh48. Ilara is selling at Sh55 from Sh48 while Molo is at Sh51 from Sh50 and Fresha at Sh50 from Sh45.
A 1.5 litre tin of powder milk in Eastleigh is selling at between Sh2,000 to Sh2,300 while latto milk from Uganda is selling at Sh950 per carton.
Long-life milk is selling at Sh60 from Sh55 though it has disappeared from the shelves.
Joan Kwamboka, a resident of Nyayo Embakasi said she was used to buying a cartoon of long-life milk weekly.
“I used to buy a carton of 12 packets of 500ml at Sh600 and they would service me and my family for one week. This is no longer available. You can only get fresh milk and sometimes you are limited to only a few packets,” she said.
However, Livestock PS Harry Kimtai says with the onset of rains, the industry will recover in the coming weeks.
He said the current milk shortage is due to drought and dry spells.
The PS who spoke to the Star on Tuesday said foliage has reduced even in the high producing areas and this has led to a drop in milk production.
He said a dairy animal that was producing about 20 litres per day now produces 12 litres.
“Due to low supply and high demand, farm gate prices of milk have increased from an average of Sh35 - Sh40 to the current price of between Sh45 - Sh50 per litre,” Kimtai said.
He said the recovery of the industry is dependent on the rains.
Kenya Dairy board MD Margaret Kibogy also said production in Kenya is heavily dependent on rain.
"Our sector depends on the October-December short rains and this helps the months of January to March. However, last year, there was depressed rains, hence the low production,” she said during a phone interview on Monday.
Kibogy said milk production has gone down by almost 15 per cent and the country requires about 74 million litres monthly to meet the high demand.
“Kenyans are high consumers of milk so a little drop is felt. We consume 120 litres per person per capita while Uganda is at 60 litres per litre per capita,” she said.
The MD however said the increase in prices by about Sh5 per litre is normal and driven by the market forces of supply and demand.
“There is no cause for alarm, consumers are still able to access milk though at low quantities,” she said.
Kibogy however said farmers should have planted feeds during January -March, which are normally dry months, so that it doesn’t affect production.
The seasons are predictable and we know the cycle of drought hence the need to plan ahead, she said.
The MD however said the sector recovers fast and with the onset of the rains last week, foliage will start recovering.
She said in the next two to three weeks, the sector will have revamped and prices will start stabilising.
According to the April weather outlook by the Kenya Metrological Department, April marks the peak month of the long rains season.
The outlook indicated that highlands West of the Rift Valley, Central and Southern Rift Valley and highlands East of the Rift Valley including Nairobi county are likely to experience near average rainfall.
Also, the Lake Victoria Basin and parts of the northeast and southeastern lowlands.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)