Milk Composition, Hygiene Practices and Marketing System in Wachale District, North Shewa, Ethiopia

This study assessed the raw cow milk chemical composition, hygienic practices, and marketing system in the supply chain of the Wachale district of North Shewa. A structured questio nnaire was used to collect primary data from 68 randomly selected dairy farmers, and 60 raw cow milk samples were used for chemical analysis. Out of the total milk produced (14.64±1.10litres/households/day); the highest proportion (13.66±0.99) was sold as raw milk through an informal marketing system with no quality control. And a little proportion (0.54±0.07) was used for human consumption, implying that milk consumption is not a strong habit in the study area. The result also revealed that the chemical co mpositions of raw cow milk samples collected did not meet the quality standards. Furthermore, raw milk was delivered to the next actors in the open sunshine and roadsides on the ground, which was dusty and not protected from wind and road traffic. The result also demonstrated that the selling prices of raw milk at the farmers’ level were very low, forcing producers to adulterate the milk with water and remove fat to compensate for the low price. Due to many constraints, milk production and handling practices in the study area are low and of poor quality, and thus appropriate dairy husbandry and sanitary milk handling practices should be promoted to increase milk productivity and quality in the study area.