Evaluation of Hygienic Status and Marketing System of Raw Cow Milk in Different Critical Points of Oromia Special Zone
The study was conducted at peri-Addis Ababa districts of Oromia with the aim of assessing hygienic status, knowledge gap, constraints affecting production, marketing and consumption of milk. A total of 102 milk producing farmers at Holeta, Sebeta and Sululta districts, Informal merchant, collection centers dairy cooperative and retail centers at Addis Ababa were engaged by using multi-stage purposive sampling method. About 99% of participants in the areas market whole milk and 94% of the milk produced per households was sold. About 96.1 and 23% of the participants stated that milk production and marketing in areas maintain household food security and profitable farm activity respectively. The major challenges of milk production and marketing in the areas were; feed shortage, high feed cost, disease, shortage of land for grazing, and price fluctuation during fasting season, long term contract for milk marketing and milk quality, respectively. About 40% uses traditional flavoring agents and anti-microbial effect for cleaning milk transporting equipments. Channels of milk marketing involved in this area include direct sellers, milk collection centers, informal merchants, milk cooperative unions, hotels, dairy product processing plants and retail shops. However, majority of the participants brought their milk to the collection center and private dairy processing plants About 68.6 % and 31.4% of the participants bring milk twice daily to collection center and private processing plant, respectively. About 98%, 97.1 and 94.15% of the participants in the study sites used plastic utensils for milking, storing before transportation and transporting milk Besides, lack of training for producers, lack of awareness on standard milk and milk product production and marketing, lack of aseptic milk handling and use of traditional flavor plants on milk microbial load were major knowledge gap in the areas and milk available to the consumer in Addis Ababa via different supply cha
