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Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has cautioned that Kenya’s push to expand dairy exports will falter unless farmers and feed processors eradicate aflatoxin contamination and adopt a quality-based payment model.
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Addressing the 17th African Dairy Conference and Exhibition (AFDA17) in Nairobi, Kagwe said contaminated feeds compromise milk quality, blocking access to international markets.
“No export without quality. Aflatoxin in animal feeds passes directly into milk and denies us opportunities in global markets. If we aim to double production and boost exports, feed quality must come first,” he warned.
The CS announced that the government will soon introduce a Good Quality Milk certification scheme to enforce hygiene and safety standards. The programme will reward farmers who deliver high-quality milk with premium payments, while penalising poor-quality supplies.
“To reward quality, differentiation is necessary. Farmers producing better milk must earn better returns,” Kagwe added.
He further urged feed producers and farmers to adopt Aflasafe, a biological solution that cuts aflatoxin levels in maize, to safeguard milk quality.
Kenya produced 5.3 billion litres of milk in 2024, but the government is targeting 10 billion litres under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda. Kagwe said achieving this will require reducing feed costs, improving cattle breeds, and incentivising quality production.
He also called on African nations to harmonise dairy standards and exchange best practices under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), stressing that the continent should stop importing milk powders despite its immense production capacity.
