Camel Milk Production and Marketing: Challenges and Opportunities in Afar Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

Camels play diverse roles in the livelihood of poor pastoralists by supplying food mainly milk which is considered as naturally single but nearly complete food. A cross-sectional study was done in two selected zones of Afar region with the objective of examining the major constraints of camel milk production and marketing and associated development potential for the future. According to the study, the main constraints affecting camel milk production were feed and water shortage, high feed cost, browsing land shortage, diseases and other reproductive disorders, inadequate animal health services, shortage and high cost of medicaments, lack of breeding services and decreased replacement stock due to camel calf mortality. Majority of the respondents said that there was no well developed and organized camel milk market in the region. The channel of marketing is majorly direct in which milk producers sold the milk product to customers directly by themselves. The price of camel milk varies mainly based on season, milk demand and supply around the study area. The low level of supply as compared to the demand may result the price of camel milk to increase. As fresh milk could not be kept for long hours before consumed or processed, distance from the potential consumers was another major factor that determines the price within the study areas. The major challenges affecting camel milk marketability were lack of road and transportation facilities, absence of cooling facilities, lack of milk preserving and transporting facilities, absence of organized market chain and absence of training and initiation for commercialization. However, there is a good potential of camel milk and opportunities for future development such as urbanization and industrialization, resettlement areas and others which increases the marketability of the available camel milk in the region. Therefore, solving feed and water problems, improving animal health and breeding services, and commercialization of the activity by creating market chain, marketing facilities and infrastructure and establishing milk selling cooperatives will help in future development of the sector.

Keywords: Afar, Camel milk, Ethiopia, Marketing, Production.