Isiolo Governor Abdi Hassan Guyo has announced that his county will also benefit from the newly commissioned Kenya Cooperative Creameries Kiganjo factory in Nyeri
Speaking on Tuesday in Nyeri, he said Camel milk is in high demand all over the world, including Kenya.
"As residents of Isiolo, we are happy that our camel milk has found a new market in this KCC. Isiolo county has been the first county from Northern Kenya to partner with KCC and we are still in partnership," he said.
Addressing President William Ruto, Guyo hailed the creamery noting that it is a game changer for the people of Mt Kenya.
"This is the real bottom-up because this is a major achievement. When farmers get money, Kenya’s agricultural sector improves," he said.
Governor Guyo urged the President to also consider camel milk production when setting up such establishments.
He requested Ruto to furnish Isiolo county with coolers to boost camel milk production.
"As camel herders, we have a few challenges with coolers. With coolers, Isiolo can produce more than 50,000 litres a day," Guyo said.
Camel milk is in high demand all over the world, including Kenya due to the medicinal values associated with it.
It contains high antioxidants, which help prevent damage to cells that can lead to serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
About 6,000 to 7,000 litres of camel milk is exported daily to Nairobi from Isiolo.
Guyo said that the main challenges facing camel and cattle milk production in Isiolo included post-harvest losses due to high temperatures, limited value addition of milk and poor mode of transportation.
Camel milk production and marketing in the peri-urban areas of Africa is an emerging innovation with development potential.
Pastoralists are increasingly producing milk for the market, as well as for subsistence, contributing to the growth of a production sub-sector.
Back in 2009, Kenya’s camel milk industry was estimated to contribute Sh16 billion to the national economy, producing about 552 million litres of milk, mostly through pastoral production.
This highlights that the sub-sector has huge potential, given that it is not fully developed.
Camel milk marketing remains highly informal and is characterised by main women trading raw milk between families and clans.
International Institute for Environment and Development and the University of Nairobi commissioned a study that shows the economic contribution of the camel milk trade to Isiolo town in terms of employment, household income and contributions to public revenue.
According to the study, the camel milk trade creates a monthly gross turnover of up to Sh10.58 million.
And about 94 per cent of this was due to the demand for camel milk in the Nairobi terminal market.