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Newly-launched African Pastoral Markets Development platform will go a long way in transforming Kenya’s livestock sector, Livestock Development PS Jonathan Mueke has said.
The PS said the APMD platform, which seeks to integrate pastoralists into more lucrative livestock markets, will be key in addressing challenges faced by communities in arid and semi-arid (ASAL) areas.
“This initiative comes at a time when we must urgently address the gaps and bottlenecks in livestock marketing, productivity and commercialisation,” Mueke said.
The PS made the remarks during the APMD workshop organised by the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
HIs speech was read on his behalf by Richard Kyuma, Director in charge of Livestock Marketing, Agri Business and Food security in the State Department for Livestock Development.
Key players from Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya gathered in Naivasha to deliberate on the future of livestock marketing in the country.
AU-IBAR launched the initiative on Monday. In Kenya, over 80 per cent of the land is classified as ASAL, where livestock production remains the primary economic activity.
The regions are home to pastoral communities that rely on livestock for their income and sustenance.
According to Mueke, livestock accounts for over 70 per cent of Kenya's meat production, with most animals grazing on natural pasture, leading to organically produced meat.
“Livestock is an important sector for the Kenyan economy with significant potential to increase competitiveness and benefit millions of people,” Mueke remarked.
He further noted that domestic demand for meat has been growing steadily, driven by factors such as urbanisation, a rising middle class and expanding export markets.
However, despite the potential, Kenya’s meat industry faces a myriad of challenges, including high post-harvest losses, low value addition, poor processing skills and inadequate capacity to meet quality and safety standards.
The challenges have led to sub-optimal performance of the livestock sector, particularly in export markets.
One of the most pressing challenges facing pastoralists in Kenya and across Africa is the inconsistency in the supply of quality and quantity of slaughter stock.
The inconsistency, often exacerbated by frequent droughts and market-sensitive diseases, hinders pastoralists from securing lucrative market contracts.
The result is that many pastoralists remain stuck in subsistence-level production, unable to tap into the more profitable, high-value meat markets.
Mueke acknowledged the challenges, stating that livestock marketing in Kenya is predominantly carried out by individual traders, formal marketing companies and brokers, many of whom operate in isolation.
To address the issues, Mueke called for the formation of strong export cooperatives and companies that can pool resources and leverage economies of scale.
One of the key focuses of the APMD initiative is on financial inclusivity, which has been a major component of the World Bank’s De-risking, Inclusion and Value Enhancement of Pastoral Economies (DRIVE) project.
DRIVE, which was implemented in Kenya and neighbouring countries like Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia, provided index-based livestock insurance to pastoralists, ensuring asset protection during droughts.