The government is working on a raft of measures to tackle problems in the milk industry in a bid to cushion farmers from losses.
Trade Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya on Sunday assured farmers, who have been complaining about poor prices, that the market will soon stabilise and told them to focus on increasing productivity.
“The issues are not under my docket but we are in the same government so I have to answer on behalf of the national government. The milk problem is going to be resolved soon,” he said.
COUNTERFEITS
CS Munya raised the alarm over counterfeit milk products, which he noted could be harmful.
He claimed that most of the milk under the Lato brand is artificially produced.
“They are adding water to milk powder and selling it to unsuspecting members of the public. We sent people to Uganda to check where the factory is and the cows said to produce the milk but it didn’t add up,” he said.
Last week, police officers in Meru County confiscated 23.1 tonnes of milk from Musty distribution depot in Makutano, claiming it was substandard. They took 3,850 cartons of Lato long-life milk valued at Sh2.5 million.
Depot manager Pritpal Bhamraave, said they had all the required documents, including the East Africa Community certificate of origin.
He also said they were cleared by the Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards and all the other relevant bodies.
Lato’s Mountain Region Sales Manager Maurice Mugambi protested the move by the police, saying their product had passed all the government tests.
COFFEE FORTUNES
Mr Munya urged police to ensure all the produce in the market is fit for human consumption.
Regarding the coffee industry, he said his ministry is keen on turning around farmers’ fortunes, following release of Sh2 billion to boost the sector.
“Farmers will get 40 per cent of the value of the coffee they deliver. We are also pursuing better foreign markets,” he said at Linkurungu village in Tigania East, Meru, during the burial of freedom fighter M’Karau Samson Karau.