A new study on Ethiopia’s smallholder dairy value chain suggested that solar appliances have the potential to help dairy farmers overcome major challenges such as feed scarcity, low milk quality, and inefficient butter churning methods.
According to Precise’s Consult report, Ethiopia has Africa’s largest cattle population yet still imports dairy products to meet local demand. As per FAOSTAT, the country imported 173 tons of whole fresh cow milk, 181 tons of butter, and 178 tons of cheese in 2019.
Despite the fact that the number of cattle has increased over time, the daily milk supply per cow has shown very little improvement, according to the study. In 2019, indigenous breeds accounted for 97.7 percent of the 65.3 million cattle in Ethiopia, with an average daily milk output of 1.48 L/cow, compared to hybrid breeds, which can yield 10-15 L/cow per day.
