As Kenyans process the National Budget estimates for the 2023/24 financial year, farmers in the dairy, tea, and coffee sectors pinned their hopes on the Sh3.6 trillion fiscal plan.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u delivered the budget at the National Assembly. Dairy farmers hope the government considered ways to reduce the cost of production.
Peter Wachira a dairy farmer in Nyeri said that he expected the budget would reduce the cost of raw materials in making animal feeds that the farmers depend on to increase milk production.
"The government should reduce taxes for raw materials to ease the farmers' burden of buying animal feed," he said.
He added that currently, he produces 18 litres of milk to 20 litres of milk per day from his two cows.
"During the drought season, I sold two of my dairy cows since I could not have sustained them," Wachira said.
He insisted that this budget should give priority to funding the county government livestock department to offer extension services to farmers.
Patrick Maina a milk vender at Ihururu dairy in Nyeri town said the budget will affect his business negatively.
He complained that the sales have gone down due to the harsh economic times.
"Customers are not buying the milk currently, one litre of raw milk retails at Sh60, if the price of fuel goes up the price of milk will go up," he said.
Maina has urged the government to consider the cost of production to stabilise the dairy sector.
Jeremiah Kinyua, the chairman and founder of Milkstar enterprise in Othaya Nyeri County said if the government doesn't look into their plight, they will end up making losses due to the high cost of feeds.
The cost of fuel determines everything including the transportation of milk from the farmer to the selling point, and the cost of animal feed which determines the production of the milk.
"Fuel and electricity determine the cost of production in the dairy sector," Kinyua observed.
"My appeal to the government is to give a guaranteed minimum return on the dairy sector which will ensure the dairy farmers get good returns," he said.
Coffee
Coffee farmers expressed hope for financial allocation towards the Coffee Cherry Advance Revolving Fund (CCARF) to provide affordable, sustainable and accessible advanced funds to small-hold coffee growers. During the campaigns, the government promised to allocate funds to Minimum Guaranteed Return (MGR) cushioning farmers against external factors influencing market prices.
According to Job Kareithi, a coffee farmer in Mathira, the government should set aside budgetary allocations to re-energise the coffee subsector, especially on the new Kenya Planters Cooperative Union (KPCU), Coffee Research Institute (CRI), and Coffee Research Foundation (CRF) and all the coffee sector which need to be upgraded.
On the other hand, tea farmers want the government to inject a subsidy to lower the cost of farm inputs. Wambugu Gachunji, the chairman of Mt Kenya Aberdare Tea Growers Association said the cost of fertilisers should be addressed.
"We need the cost of a bag of fertiliser to be sold at Sh2,500," said Wambugu.
Report by Purity Mwangi and Amos Kiarie, Phares Mutembei Boniface Gikandi
