Livestock Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai has said the enactment of the Animal Production Professional and Technology Bill 2021 will professionalize animal production.
“The Bill, once enacted into law, will provide for training, registration and licensing of animal production professionals and technicians and make sure there is proper regulation of the standards’ and practice of the sector,” he said.
The Bill proposes changes in the reviewed Livestock Policy 2020 and is expected to revitalize the sector and guarantee the sustainability of livestock farming as a major economic thrust in the country.
According to Mr. Kimtai, the Livestock Bill 2021 that is before Parliament will provide an enabling environment for the development and regulation of the sector.
However, he said that the gap between supply and demand of livestock and livestock products is expected to widen in the near future, especially due to the ongoing drought, noting that the animal production professionals have a critical role to play in bridging the gap.
The livestock sector is a key economic driver and a crucial cog in Kenya’s goal of attaining middle-income status by 2030. The sector employs a significant percentage of Kenya’s agricultural labour force and is a primary source of livelihood for over 6 million pastoralists and agro-pastoralists.
Kimtai said that the livestock sector accounts for about 12 per cent of the country’s GDP and 42 per cent of the agricultural GDP.
“The sector supplies domestic requirements for meat, milk, dairy, and other livestock products and accounts for 30 per cent of the total marketed agricultural products,” he said, adding that the sector earns the country substantial foreign exchange through export of live animals, hides, skins, dairy products, and some processed products.
