I am working with the MMPA, which is an umbrella group of 3 milk producer associations in Malawi. We have been advocating to ammend the milk act in Malawi which was written when there were 5 large state run dairies and now they just protect a oligopoly of privately owned dairies. However, the majority of people cannot afford that processed milk consuming an average of about 6 litres a year, despite the surplus of milk being produced in some areas of Malawi. This surplus is often wasted because 80% of the population cannot afford to shop in the ‘formal sector’ at super markets and the ‘middle class’ in Malawi is not growing. If we change the policies that protect these monopolies and allow the informal sector to thrive more small holder dairy farmers will have access to emerging markets in the poorer areas. Producing milk that is affordable to the poor and promoting a culture that drinks milk would have significant impacts on a country that suffers food insecurity and malnutrition. For example, 53% of children have stunted growth due to malnutrition and Malawi continues to lose productive power in the labour force as the 12% with HIV/AIDS, including people taking ARV’s require more energy in order to have the strength to work.
Counter arguments are about health and safety; however, there are many factors that complement the informal market including the fact that Malawi has a culture of boiling milk even when it is pasteurized and boiling just as if not more effective at killing disease than pasteurization does. The pasteurized milk is collected from the small holder farmers that would be producing for informal sector so you can’t complain about the source and one is more likely to give a cow TB than to contract it through milk.
I’ll give you more information as it develops.
No comments:
Post a Comment