Rigathi Gachagua says President William Ruto's buffalo milk idea has brought young people to his door. According to The Star, Gachagua said youths are now lining up at his Wamunyoro home. They want to supply his household with buffalo milk.
Gachagua said his home borders Mt Kenya Forest. Some youths told him they were ready to go into the forest, milk the wild buffaloes and sell him the milk. "I find youths waiting for me, saying that they will be supplying milk to my home," he said.
By his account, the plan did not go well. Gachagua said the buffaloes kicked the youths, who then called to say the animals had become angry. He added that there is also an elephant in the forest. The youths promised to ask the President whether they could milk it.
His remarks came a month after Ruto floated the idea at the Agriculture and Food Transformation Summit at the ASK Showground. The President said Kenya should look into buffalo milk, as countries such as India do. He said he had told the Livestock Principal Secretary to bring in good camel and buffalo breeds to raise milk output.
"If others are milking them, why can't we do the same? What is wrong with that? We need to diversify our sources of milk," Ruto said at the time. He made the proposal because milk production has fallen. The Star linked the decline to prolonged drought, poor pasture and rising feed costs.
Ruto also pointed to camel milk as a source of income for farmers. He said a litre sells in town for KSh 180, almost KSh 200. That is about triple the price of cow's milk.
Buffalo milk is widely consumed in South Asia, The Star noted. It usually has 7-8 per cent butterfat, against about 3-4 per cent in cow's milk. That makes it good for cheese, butter, yoghurt and ghee. Like other milk, it must be properly pasteurised before people drink it.