Milk stakeholders meet to boost dairy sector

COAST REGION: THE Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, in collaboration with the Mkuranga District Council, has convened a milk stakeholders’ forum to strengthen the district’s dairy value chain and enhance livelihoods for smallscale livestock keepers in the district, Coast region.

The forum brought together a wide range of stakeholders engaged across the entire milk value chain, including producers, collectors, processors and marketers.

Speaking during the forum, the District Milk Sector Coordinator, Mr Wilson Chahe, said the event was deliberately designed to support smallholder livestock keepers by equipping them with practical knowledge to improve productivity while linking them to reliable and sustainable markets.

“The forum served as a platform to identify challenges facing small livestock keepers and to provide them with solutions that can help increase milk output and improve quality. We are using this engagement as a starting point for establishing learning centres that will offer continuous education on good livestock management practices and quality control,” Mr Chahe said.

He said the initiative reflects growing recognition of the dairy sector’s economic potential, particularly for small livestock keepers from low-income households who depend on milk production as a key source of income.

Mr Chache said that improving milk quality and productivity is critical for enabling small producers to compete effectively in formal markets and attract better prices for their products.

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Furthermore, the District Council has officially launched a project aimed at sustaining and expanding milk production, with a strong focus on small-scale livestock keepers.

According to the Ministry’s Head of the Livestock and Fisheries Department, Ms Anna Mfuru, the project is already being implemented in Panguo and Nyamato wards through Milk Producers’ Cooperative Unions.

“Through this project, livestock keepers are being trained to raise their animals more productively by adhering to established principles, procedures, and guidelines of good livestock keeping,” Ms Mfuru said.

She noted that the initiative highlighted improved feeding, animal health management, hygiene, and cooperative marketing.

She said the forum and the newly launched project mark an important step toward building a more resilient, inclusive, and commercially viable dairy industry in the district.

Mkuranga District is among the country’s leading livestock-producing areas, with annual milk production estimated at 10.4 million litres and more than 900 registered livestock keepers, making the dairy sector a key driver of local economic growth.

Local authorities believe that strengthening cooperation among stakeholders and promoting best practices will not only increase milk production but also enhance household incomes, create employment opportunities, and contribute to local economic development.