Twelve COMESA countries are seeking to harmonise standards in their dairy industries to facilitate trade in milk-derived products. The countries’ bureaux of standards will be meeting mid next month in Lusaka, Zambia, to discuss the issue.
Dr Kipkirui arap Lang’at, the executive director of the Eastern and Southern African Dairy Association, said, “It will be easier to move dairy products from areas of surplus to areas where there is a deficit in COMESA,” he said.
The bulk of dairy products traded in COMESA countries comes from outside the region and the standardisation process is expected to turn this situation around, said Lang’at.
The move is expected to boost the value addition drive in the dairy industry and increase the scope for earnings. “The industry must find ways of processing milk so as to have long life milk and other products that can be stored longer and be transported for longer distances,” said Lang’at.
Harmonisation of standards will involve areas such as butter fat content, acceptable bacterial load, hygiene standards, storage, transport temperatures and handling equipment. The standards will be based on well established scientific processes, which will offer an assurance of quality.
Kenya Dairy Board managing director Machira Gichohi said the move was part of a wider plan which started with the harmonisation of standards in East Africa. “After we standardise the dairy industry in COMESA, we want to move to the whole of Africa and then from there we will target international standards,” he said.
Already, dairy boards in East Africa have harmonised their dairy products standards and cross border trade has been going on smoothly. This facilitated the expansion of Kenyan dairy producers into the East African region.
Business Daily Africa
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