Brookside eyes bigger slice of Coast milk market, enters Lamu

The dairy sector in the country's coastal lowlands has received a major boost after milk processor Brookside announced it would partner with farmers in Lamu County to increase production of raw milk in the region.

The move by the dairy processing company to set up raw milk collection facilities in Witu, Lamu West constituency, has given hope to more than 10,000 dairy farmers in the area.

It also makes Brookside the first dairy processor to venture into the region, considered a high potential shed due to a large cattle population among the predominantly pastoralist community in the area.

Brookside's Director of milk procurement John Gethi said the processor is banking on the ecologically suitable area of Witu, where it is working with two major dairy groups, both with a total membership of over 10,000 farmers.

"Our intention is to partner with dairy players in the county to structure the marketing of raw milk for the benefit of milk producers," he said in Lamu at the weekend. Witu Livestock Co-operative Society Treasurer Abdalla Lali welcomed the establishment of milk collection booths in the area.

"For a long time, dairy farmers in Lamu have suffered at the hands of middlemen who collected raw milk and hawked it in Lamu, Pangani and Mpeketoni towns. Brookside's entry has seen our members receive raw milk supply contracts, which guarantees us income and help spur the economy of the county," Lali said.

The Chairman of Tawfiq Dairy, Hussein Khalifa said despite being a high potential dairy production area, many farmers had been demoralised by low farm-gate prices offered by informal market players.

"Only last year, milk prices in Lamu dropped to a low of Sh10 per litre – but even then you were not sure of receiving payment after delivering your milk to the informal traders. We are glad that the investment by Brookside in the county has seen the prices rise to a high of more than Sh38 per kilo," he said.

He commended the government for heightening security in the area, which has contributed to the growth of milk production.

Extension services

According to Gethi, dairy farmers in Lamu will benefit from extension services offered by the processor's field staff, and would cover herd management, including animal feeding and disease identification.

"We are looking at establishment of fodder crops as one way of addressing the constraint of inadequate feeding of dairy animals, which leads to low production volumes for every cow kept. "Seasonal fluctuations in milk production are affected by inadequate feed, both in quality and quantity," he added.

The Brookside director announced that the processor would use modern mobile milk cooling road tanker, which would be used simultaneously transport and chill collected milk from farmers.

In the Coast region, the regional milk processor also partners with farmers in Kilifi and Taita Taveta counties on raw milk.