DairyPost Africa Magazine_ May. 2014 | Page 8

8 ESADA News DairyPost Africa • May 2014 FROM ESADA DESK Technology is the key to increasing milk production and a competitive African dairy industry Opportunities in milk production in Africa T he agricultural commodities market place is changing radically. Today in Africa we consume milk products from cows and other dairy animals reared in all corners of the world. Globalization has forced the actors in agricultural value chains to think beyond the local consumer who is confronted by main choices from all over the world. While pursuing the regional and international markets, the actors must appreciate that they must win at home before taking it to the international market. The commodities traders must recognize that it is easier, more cost effective and less risky to service a local and regional market than international market. It is critical for stakeholders in African dairy sector to develop local and regional industry while positioning themselves to seize the numerous opportunities in this sector. Milk production is a critical success factor in dairy industry globally. A major contributor to poor performance of the dairy industry is the low and erratic milk production particularly in the Eastern Africa region. Some countries in Eastern Africa record an average of 174 litres per cow per year against a global average of over 7300 litres per cow per year. This presents many opportunities in boosting production. Over 80% of milk in is produced by smallholder farmers in Eastern Africa. On average between 40% - 80% of milk in Africa is produced by farmers keeping less than three cows. These farmers primarily keep indigenous cows and rely on rain fed fodder. As a result, milk supply is sufficient for less than half of the year. When weather condition is favorable, some countries in East Africa experience severe milk gluts. Milk quality is one of the other major concerns in the African dairy sector. Due to the dairying systems and practices in subSaharan Africa hygiene and proper raw milk handling is inadequate. Transportation of raw milk from the farm to bulking centers (milk collection centers) and to processing