Drought In Kenya

3 Statement of the Problem
According to Mallins (2004) seasonal fluctuation of production is the yield per cow and by extension the amount of milk produced in Kenya fluctuates greatly during the year. This has a great effect on the processors’ ability to absorb all the milk availed to them at any time during the year, with a period of surplus followed shortly by that of low milk volumes. The sector therefore has excess capacity during some months in the year that lie idle waiting for the flush period in times of drought. The February/March to May/June months are usually periods of low production. During periods of excess, milk wastage is commonly reported, with farmers experiencing loss of incomes, with the processors sometimes being

The cost of production is affected by high prices for animal feeds, inputs and electricity and due to poor infrastructure, poor animal husbandry practices, lack of formal milk markets in some areas and lack of credit to farmers and processors. Poor quality of milk is the quality of milk delivered to the dairies is a big challenge for the dairy processors. Poor milking practices, a fragmented small-scale dairy farming system and lack of cooling and storage facilities at the farm provide huge challenges to the farmers’ ability to meet the specifications of the dairies, resulting in poor quality milk to the dairies (Busari,

An estimated 84% of the milk produced is sold in raw form to consumers, providing instant cash or higher prices to the farmer. This compromises product quality while offering direct competition to the dairy processing industry. Despite the Government actively discouraging selling of ‘hawked’ milk, the sector continues to grow with grave consequences to the processing sector. Despite these challenges the dairy industry in Kenya is the most sophisticated in sub-Sahara Africa, with a robust processing sector that continues to grow year by year, thereby providing a fertile ground for investors, consumers and the Kenyan economy. The dairy processing industry in Kenya is dominated by a few big processors and a high number of smaller and medium operators. Though the number of licensed dairies is higher, about 40 dairies are actively producing and availing their products through the normal retail channels in a significant manner (Olayiwola,