US wheat shipment to fund livestock feed project in Kenya

KENYA – More than 47,000 metric tons of American wheat has arrived at the Port of Mombasa under a programme designed to strengthen Kenya’s livestock feed sector and expand agricultural trade between Kenya and the United States.

The hard red winter wheat shipment will support the Food for Progress Livestock Innovation and Feed Transformation (LIFT) project, an initiative aimed at improving access to higher-quality livestock feed ingredients and boosting productivity across Kenya’s livestock value chain.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Kenya, proceeds from the commercial sale of the wheat will be reinvested in the LIFT programme.

The grain was transported aboard the MV Liberty Grace and will be sold to commercial buyers in Kenya for milling and consumption.

Susan Burns visited Bulkstream Limited during the offloading process and said the initiative would benefit both Kenyan and American farmers.

“This is a big win for both American and Kenyan farmers. We are excited to see the expanded trade, as well as LIFT’s focus on supporting Kenyan livestock producers by developing systems to produce higher-quality animal feeds at a lower cost,” Burns said.

The LIFT project is organised by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and implemented by Counterpart International.

Kenya’s livestock sector is one of the country’s largest agricultural industries, contributing significantly to rural livelihoods and food security. 

However, the sector remains structurally constrained by feed availability and affordability. Industry estimates consistently show that animal feed accounts for up to 60–70% of total production costs in intensive systems such as poultry and dairy farming. 

This makes feed the single largest cost driver, far outweighing labour, veterinary inputs, and housing. As a result, any disruption in feed supply or price increases directly affects farmers’ margins and consumer prices.

The project is expected to support the development of local feed systems by improving access to premium feed ingredients and strengthening feed manufacturing capacity.

The initiative also reflects a broader shift toward market-based agricultural support programmes focused on trade, investment and long-term sector development.

This demand–supply gap has made Kenya increasingly dependent on global markets, particularly for protein-rich, energy-dense feed inputs. 

Wheat imports, including the current U.S. consignment, help stabilise supply chains while also supporting milling industries that serve both human consumption and livestock feed blending.

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