Milk production and handling on the Accra plains by the fulani herdsmen

Abstract

The study discussed milk handling and processing activities of 20 Fulani households living in the Accra plains. Men and boys did the milking of the cows, by hand. Milk yield varied with season and herd size. The milk was sold fresh or processed into other products. Woagashie, is a plant enzyme coagulated soft cheese, which could be consumed fresh, dried or fried. Nyarmie is a spontaneous fermentation of pasteurized milk product which is whipped and added to gari, banku, rice or fula and consumed as a meal. Cream was also collected and churned into butter, which is boiled into ghee, which is sold or used for cooking. The marketing of milk and milk products was done by the women and the money was used fir the upkeep of the home. The constraints were many as production practices were purely traditional and very unhygienic. Marketing and spoilage problems arose whenever there was excess of milk and the milk has to be discarded, as there were no cooling systems. The homesteads were made up of several large compounds, which contain several huts. Rectangular kraals, constructed from wood were situated within the homesteads. There were shelters for young calves, goats and poultry and a cooking place for the women. It is hoped that the traditional milk products could be made more popular to the general public by introducing good hygienic practices during processing