Milk in East Darfur, Squandered Blessing
The milk market in Ed Daein is one of the town’s most remarkable places. The milk market, which is made up of make-shift straw shelters and provides different types of milk for customers. The goods are on display in the open air, where health services are lacking; hence milk at this market is prone to contamination and bacteria as well as other pollutants.
Halima Hassan Ahmed, a milk woman said that milk is supplied to the market on donkeys and by small vehicles from remote regions, tens of miles away from the market place, in the morning. She noted that milk is cheaper during the rainy season worth less than 1SDG per a pound. Ms Ahmed said that she also prepares and deals in traditionally fermented or soured “rob”
She said that herders have to milk the cows and pour the milk on the ground because it is difficult from them to supply the milk from pastoral regions to the market during rainy seasons. Herders get rid of milk to ensure that the health of their milk cows is not affected. She lamented that farmers are compelled to pour the milk on the ground while some central regions of Sudan are crying for milk. Halima said milk is supplied to the market by trucks on Saturdays from the grazing regions. She said that most of the milk women come to the market from adjacent regions to work until around 5:00pm to get back to their homes. Women sell milk in summer and keep their cows in autumn.
Sakina Adam Khatir said milk prices are affordable, one pound for a pound of milk, 16 pounds for a pound of butter. She indicated that milk-women are facing harsh treatment by locality officers, who look down on women vendors. She called on local authorities to organize the Ed Daein milk market, adding that milk-women pack their milk products such as butter, yogurt in used mineral water bottles after cleaning them with hot water and soap; however, she said this method is not enough for preventing contamination. She called for the re-operation of The Ghazala Jawazat Milk Factory to make use of amounts of milk being wasted. She said most of the female milk vendors in the markets own cattle and that they will sell their milk to the factory and that takes more time to take care of their animals instead of travelling distances to sell milk. They may also eventually become factory personnel.
Halima Hassan Ahmed, a milk woman said that milk is supplied to the market on donkeys and by small vehicles from remote regions, tens of miles away from the market place, in the morning. She noted that milk is cheaper during the rainy season worth less than 1SDG per a pound. Ms Ahmed said that she also prepares and deals in traditionally fermented or soured “rob”
She said that herders have to milk the cows and pour the milk on the ground because it is difficult from them to supply the milk from pastoral regions to the market during rainy seasons. Herders get rid of milk to ensure that the health of their milk cows is not affected. She lamented that farmers are compelled to pour the milk on the ground while some central regions of Sudan are crying for milk. Halima said milk is supplied to the market by trucks on Saturdays from the grazing regions. She said that most of the milk women come to the market from adjacent regions to work until around 5:00pm to get back to their homes. Women sell milk in summer and keep their cows in autumn.
Sakina Adam Khatir said milk prices are affordable, one pound for a pound of milk, 16 pounds for a pound of butter. She indicated that milk-women are facing harsh treatment by locality officers, who look down on women vendors. She called on local authorities to organize the Ed Daein milk market, adding that milk-women pack their milk products such as butter, yogurt in used mineral water bottles after cleaning them with hot water and soap; however, she said this method is not enough for preventing contamination. She called for the re-operation of The Ghazala Jawazat Milk Factory to make use of amounts of milk being wasted. She said most of the female milk vendors in the markets own cattle and that they will sell their milk to the factory and that takes more time to take care of their animals instead of travelling distances to sell milk. They may also eventually become factory personnel.
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