Kenya is facing an acute shortage of livestock feeds

Published 2024년 9월 17일

Tridge summary

Kenya is facing a significant annual deficit of 33 million metric tonnes of livestock feed, negatively impacting livestock production. To combat this shortage, the government has invested over Ksh 55 billion over the past two years to bolster the fodder industry and shift towards more locally produced feed. Despite producing 22 million metric tonnes of feed annually, 46% of it is lost post-harvest due to poor storage. The government is not only investing in feed production but also aiming to create feed storage hubs in every county to reduce these losses. The initiative is part of a larger effort to increase livestock production, improve livelihoods, and reduce malnutrition, while also addressing the challenges posed by climate change, drought, and the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

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Original content

The country’s annual deficit of livestock feed stands at 33m metric tonnes, a move that has adversely affected livestock production. To address the shortage, the State has in the last two years invested over Ksh 55 billion to support the fodder industry according to the Ministry of Agriculture. According to Dr. Stanley Mutua, the head of Animal Feeds and Nutrition at the ministry, the country annually produces 22m metric tonnes of feed against a demand of 55m million metric. Dr. Mutua said out of 22m metric tonnes of feed produced by farmers, 46pc of it went to waste due to post-harvest losses caused by poor storage feeds of fodder harvested. “The government has pumped more than Ksh 55B in the last two years to support enhanced local production of feed in the country to meet market demand and curb imports”, said Mutua. Mutua was addressing the press on the sidelines of a capacity building workshop for a Resilient African Feed and Fodder Systems Project which aims to support ...

Source: Kenya Broadcasting Cooperation