KENYA.
MEAT COMMISSION FACE MANY PROBLEMS.
The Kenya Meat Commission lost more than Sh300 million through irregular transactions came as a big shock to many.It is hard to belve that 40 years ago Kenya was in the top five meat exporters of the world.
This happened less than five years since the Government pumped in hundreds of millions of shillings to revive the plant that collapsed way back in the 1980s.
But there is still hope that the KMC can be turned around for the benefit of the economy.
The country has had its fair share of food scares. Disease outbreaks that are trans-boundary have taken their toll on the meat industry. We have had foot-and -mouth disease, Rift Valley Fever, and Avian flu, to cite just a few..
In select areas, we continue to experience outbreaks. The effect of these outbreaks is to cause market disruptions, thereby affecting the economic activity of its stakeholders. For consumers the challenge that arises is mainly food safety.
*Low adherence to hygienic production methods: Allowing sub-standard slaughter houses to continue to produce meat has severely affected quality of meat products that the market is receiving as they should not have been approved, therefore placing the consumer at a higher risk.
* Low enforcement of food safety regulations. With limited resources, the enforcement agencies carry out periodic enforcement of food safety regulations.
* Use of unsuitable means of transporting meat and meat products. The standard means is meat containers which, due to mishandling, expose the product to contamination.
*Low level of compliance with basic health requirements: As much as rules and regulations governing the meat sector exist, compliance among the players in the industry is, at best, casual,
*Erratic supply levels: The lack of structured supply systems and information has led to the market witnessing extreme ends of the demand and supply curve. At times, there is a glut in the amount of meat supplied, and at other times, the market receives limited supplies even as livestock may be available in certain parts of the country,
* Low level of skills and qualifications among industry workers: Limited opportunities exist for training. Mostly available is on-the-job training, which has its limitations.
* Lack of active co-operation among industry players: Producers, abattoirs, processors, distributors and retailers can be said to constitute industry. A lack of interaction among the players has led to lack of co-ordination in confronting the challenges faced.
With KMC back to business and enjoying immense goodwill, it is important that it pays attention to the above issues.
KMC can be an important player with enormous influence in the industry. The opportunity exists for KMC to act as a market leader and pace-setter.
With the resources at its disposal, KMC should play an active role in upgrading the system with the aim of having a well-managed supply chain that meets the needs of traceability, and supply the right product of consistent quality and quantity.
The UK and other countries have done it. We may not necessarily attain their level of efficiency, taking into account our own internal limitations, but we have a starting point — KMC.
This can be done by the KMC viewing stakeholders in the meat chain, not as competitors, but as partners.