A Report on the Camel Milk Marketing Clusters in ... - ELMT Home

CARE KENYA/SITE NOV 2009
• Lack of government policy support
The dairy act of 1958 lays emphasis on cow milk marketing but does not recognize milk
from other animals such as camels & goats. This has led to the camel milk industry lagging
behind on policy issues that directly affect its marketing.
• Lack of business orientation among milk actors
The pastoralist community places a very high cultural value on the camel but has not yet
exploited its economic potential. Camel milk harvesting presents an opportunity to alleviate
hunger while establishing a sustainable industry.
Highlights on marketing challenges
Marketing challenges for camel milk
• Fluctuating milk volumes based on forage availability
• Unhygienic milk handling practices
• Use of inappropriate milk handling containers
• Long distances between the range lands and the market
• Inappropriate milk transport
• Unavailability of clean water
• Poor organization of milk actors
• High environmental temperatures
• Lack of milk marketing systems
• Limited milk products
• Lack of government policy support for camels
• Insufficient business orientation among milk traders
3. Potential interventions
The milk marketing challenges identified above need to be addressed if more milk of high
quality is to access markets for the benefit of the pastoralist communities. The proposed
interventions include:
• Improve milk production and reduce seasonality
Milk productivity can be improved through:
Improved husbandry practices: the pastoralists rely on their traditional knowledge and agro vets
for management of their camels. Emergence of Camel Service providers on appropriate
husbandry practices will improve milk productivity as a result of better health & nutrition.
Simple adjustments like increasing the number of milking times from two to four will result in
higher milk volumes. Change in practices such as tying up camel teats - which predisposes
camels to mastitis – will lead to higher milk yields.
Better breeding: Pastoralists should be encouraged to use higher milk yielders for breeding
purposes as opposed to using poor yielders. This results in a replacement stock of high yielders
provided breeding bulls are sourced outside the herd.
Ranching: entrepreneurs in the pastoralist community should be encouraged to invest in
commercial ranches where better management practices such as feeding would assure a steady
supply of milk. Coupled with possible irrigation along the Tana River, Ranching would ensure a
steady milk supply through out the year due to availability of forage trees for camels’ feeding.
Assignment <strong>Report</strong> under ELMT compiled by SITE
22