Abstract:
The aim of the study was to evaluate milk and butter production performance of indigenous dairy
cows and marketing practices in a specific location within the Alle Zone. The study area was
divided into three sections based on agro-ecological factors: lowland, midland, and Highland. The
study collected primary data from 138 households via semi-structured questionnaires, focus group
discussion and key informant interviews. One way analysis of variance was used to analyze the
data. The study's findings revealed that the crop residue with atela followed by natural pasture
was the substantial source of feed across agro-ecological zones for dairy animal. The average
lactating cow holding was 2.54 ± 1.922 under the predominant mixed crop-livestock system. The
average daily milk yield per cow in the highland, midland, and lowland was (0.66±0.923), (0.80±0.779), and (0.76±0.45) liters, respectively, with an overall average of (0.75±0.68) liters. The AFS and AFC of indigenous cows were found to be 43.12 and 49.14 months, respectively. The
average amount of butter produced per week per household was (1.86±1.210) kg, with
(0.542±0.452) kg (28.9%) consumed at home and (1.33±1.06) kg (71.01%) sold in the market. The
average price of butter over the study period (October to December 2021) was 708.19 ETB per kg, with a minimum and maximum price of 300 ETB and 1000 ETB per kg, respectively. However, due
to cultural beliefs, selling milk in the market was not a common practice in the study area. The
main challenges for milk production and milk product marketing in the study area are a lack of
access to artificial insemination (99.3%), Cost of medicinal service (89.9%), feed shortage
(86.2%), and fasting season. In general, dairy production performance in the study area was poor, and the milk marketing system was underdeveloped due to a variety of constraints, including
cultural taboos, technological and institutional constraints. As a result, the study suggests that in
order to overcome the limits at various phases of dairy production and marketing, awareness
should be raised and the necessary updated technology should be made available
