Relief to dairy farmers as Kenya lifts ban on Uganda’s powdered milk
The move by Kenya to ban the importation of powdered milk to cushion her industry from surplus production and low producer prices rubbed the Ugandan dairy farmers the wrong way.
The Kenya Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has Wednesday suspended the ban on the importation of dairy products, which it had imposed earlier this month.
The lift was announced by Harry Kamtai, the Principal Secretary to the Ministry in a letter copied to all dairy products importers in Kenya.
“Take note that, Importation of products under the East African Community (EAC) protocol refers to goods being imported from outside the East African Community, while goods traded within EAC are referred to as transfers,” reads part of Kamtai’s communique.
“The stoppage issued through Kenya Dairy Board letter ref. KDB/MD/SED/1 VOL.5/58 dated March 6, 2023, is hereby suspended to allow for the dairy industry (Import and Export) Regulations 2021 to apply accordingly,” he said.
The move by Kenya to ban the importation of powdered milk to cushion her industry from surplus production and low producer prices rubbed the Ugandan dairy farmers the wrong way.
The dairy farmers in Uganda protested saying the directive by the Kenya Dairy Board goes against Kenyan President William Ruto’s recent directive to lift the ban on Ugandan agricultural produce such as milk, eggs and chicken.
