Feed millers have urged the government to extend the Gazette Notice to allow the importation of duty-free raw materials.
Association for Kenya Feed Manufactures secretary general Martin Kinoti said the importation period should be extended to three years when the supply of basic animal feed raw materials will stabilise.
“This will make the options of where to source from more, especially yellow maize and soya, and therefore more price competitiveness,” he said.
He called on the government to remove duty on all animal feed raw materials especially vitamins that are used in the manufacture of feed.
Kinoti spoke on Wednesday during a press briefing to articulate how the lifting of the ban on genetically modified organisms will affect the animal feed industry.
“The government should not relent in its determination to utilise all available options towards improving the food security situation in the country,” he said.
“This includes the adoption of biotechnology products such as GMO foods that have been tested and found safe for human and animal consumption through the necessary peer review mechanisms and regulatory frameworks.”
He said the cost of animal feeds has gone up by 40-60 per cent in the last two years.
Currently, a 70kg bag of dairy meal is priced at Sh2,500, layers mash at Sh3,500, and broiler starter mash at Sh4,750 while pig feed is averaging at Sh2,550 per 70kg bag.
According to Tegemeo Institute, competitiveness of the livestock value chain is directly impacted by the cost of feeds.
Feeds account for over 70 per cent of the cost of production for eggs for small-scale farmers. Thirty six per cent to 50 per cent of the cost of production of milk depends on the production system.
Kinoti said the prices are likely to go up again in the next week due to the prevailing high cost of raw materials.
“Currently the price of one litre of processed milk has risen from Sh110 to Sh140-150, a kg of broiler to Sh300 from 200 while a tray of eggs is retailing at Sh360 from Sh300. These prices are being driven by a drop in the local supply,” he said.
Kinoti said the ban on GMOs limited the sources of feed raw materials with serious negative consequences, mainly unavailability and high cost.
This, he said, led to the loss of jobs and livelihoods due to the closure/scale-down of livestock farms and the collapse of about 40 milling industries in the last two years.
“Due to the ban, AKEFEMA members could not access soya beans a key source of feed proteins from the open market, such as the countries that grow GMO products such as Brazil, Argentina and the USA,” he said.
“With the lifting of the ban, Kenya can source key ingredients from Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi and Uganda. In addition, with the deployment of agricultural biotechnology, Kenya can now viably produce soya beans to serve the local industry.”
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
