Time to save farmers from pinch of high cost of livestock feeds

Njeri Gatheca from Naiposha dairy farm in Naivasha feeds dairy cattle with hay amid an increase in prices of livestock feed by over 50 percent in the last two years. Picture By Antony Gitonga

Farmers and animal feed manufacturers are struggling to keep their businesses running thanks to high cost of feed and raw materials. Already, a number of livestock farmers have been forced to close down their enterprises or scale down their operations to keep afloat. But what is the long-term solution to the already looming feed crisis? Feed contributes to about 60 -70 per cent of the total production costs in a farm. As a result of rise in cost of raw materials, feed manufacturers are grappling with the ever rising cost of doing business. Consequently, they are passing down these costs to farmers.