Milk Price Surge Pushes a Packet of Brookside to Kshs.60

As drought hits the country, milk prices have recently gone up, providing harsh economic times for Kenyans.

Major milk companies have raised their prices by 5 shillings at most. A 500 ml packet of New KCC is going for 53 shillings from 50 shillings, Ilara 53 shillings from 48 shillings, while the long-life brands are retailing at 55 shillings and upwards.

Similarly, a 500ml packet of fresh Brookside milk retails at 60 shillings, up from 52shillings in supermarkets.

In small shops, long-life milk retails at 60 shillings from 55 shillings, while the fresh one is at 55 shillings from 50 shillings.

The shortage has been attributed to the drought being experienced in most parts of the country, leading to short supplies by dairy farmers.

‘’The shortage is due to drought, but the expected rains will reverse the trend,’’ KDB Managing Director Margret Kibogy said.

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Most Stalls are running out of stock fast as they fail to meet the high demand due to limited supply by milk processors.

The situation is expected to worsen because processors are out of powdered milk which they usually reconstitute into fresh dairy when the country is scarce.

Most counties across Kenya continue facing a prolonged drought that has been caused by delays in the long rains, with almost 3.5 million people projected to face hunger before the end of 2022, from the current 3.1 million on account of depressed rains, especially in counties where drought is more severe.

On Tuesday, the Kenya Meteorological Department said that several parts of the country should expect rainfall in the next seven days, which is expected to revive the agricultural sector to save the country from the hunger crisis.

Kenyans are going through a challenging economic phase as they face numerous pressing problems that have come along with the rising cost of living. The ever-escalating food basket forces many to dig deep into their pockets to purchase common essential commodities. Very soon, it might be survival for just a few who are fit.