Government slashes sexed semen price by 85.7% to boost dairy productivity
By Zablon Oyugi
The Kenyan government has reduced the subsidised price of sexed semen from Ksh7,000 to Ksh1,000 per dose, in a move aimed at making improved dairy genetics more accessible to farmers and raising milk productivity.
The price reduction was highlighted by Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Sen. Mutahi Kagwe while appearing before Parliament to respond to questions on government interventions in the dairy sector.
According to information shared by the Kenya Dairy Board, the new price represents an 85.7 per cent reduction from the previous Ksh7,000 cost per dose.
Sexed semen is used in artificial insemination to increase the likelihood of producing calves of a desired sex, making it particularly relevant to dairy farmers seeking to expand female replacement stock and improve the genetic quality of their herds.
The government’s intervention is part of wider measures targeting the cost of dairy production, farmer productivity and the resilience of the milk value chain.
Alongside the semen subsidy, the government is investing Ksh1.428 billion in 230 bulk milk coolers, 200 of which will be solar-powered. The infrastructure is expected to strengthen milk aggregation and reduce post-production losses.
The solar-powered coolers are projected to save dairy cooperatives about Ksh73 million annually in electricity costs while supporting more than 115,000 farmers across 41 counties. The facilities are expected to help aggregate an estimated 475,000 litres of milk daily.
The government is also targeting animal-feed costs, which remain a major component of dairy production expenses. It has launched the National Animal Feeds Development Strategy and established a National Strategic Feeds Reserve as part of efforts to stabilise feed supply.
Under the Land Commercialization Initiative, underutilised government land, including land managed by the Agricultural Development Corporation and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, is being opened up for commercial fodder production.
Public-private partnerships are also being used to expand feed manufacturing and improve fodder availability. These include a Ksh300 million feed mill investment by De Heus in Athi River and an agreement with UAE-based Al-Dahra involving up to 200,000 acres at Galana-Kulalu for agricultural production.
The government has further introduced duty waivers and VAT exemptions on selected raw materials used in animal-feed production, measures intended to help reduce feed production costs.
Regular cost-of-production studies are also being used to guide policy and producer pricing. The Ministry has put the average cost of milk production across production systems at Ksh36.20 per litre.
The Kenya Dairy Board said it remains committed to working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development to ensure that the investments and policy measures translate into tangible benefits for dairy farmers and strengthen the country’s dairy value chain.
The reduction in the price of sexed semen adds a genetics-focused component to the government’s broader dairy interventions, alongside investments in milk cooling, animal feeds, fodder production and measures aimed at controlling production costs.