Limiti e potenzialità della filiera latte africana in area subsahariana : l'esempio di un progetto pilota

The urban and periurban milk chain at Maroua (Cameroun) - In the last years the urbanization and the population growth led to a change in food needs of big cities in the Sahel area, where milk and milk products are considered more and more as an essential element in human nutrition. The aim of this study was to obtain information about the urban and periurban milk chain at Maroua (Cameroun). The survey was based on a questionnaire on sites, transformation methods and relationship among actors involved in the milk chain. The questionnaire was structured in open-ended questions to analyse each step of the milk chain: production, processing, collection, sale and consumption. The study underlined the coexistence of two milk chains: the urban and the periurban one. In the first one, farmers and consumers are close: the delivery time is short and the sale of fresh milk is possible. On the contrary, the long delivery time needed to bring milk to the urban markets from the periurban area forces those farmers to use milk for the production of yogurt and curdled milk, as cheese is not common in this area. In both the urban and periurban chains, a part of the milk is sold to hotels, restaurants and stores of Maroua. The study pointed out a loss of organization among the different steps of the milk chain, mainly due to the lack of consorting (cooperatives, associations, etc.). The feebleness in structuring decreases the power in negotiation of the actors of the milk chain, producing an outflow of demand on the market.