PROFILAIT

In the context of growing urban demand on the part of certain categories of the population, which an increase in purchasing power directs towards purchasing and consumption practices favoring more nutritious, more diversified products of better health and environmental, and driven by a logic of substitution for imports (in particular powdered milk and dairy products) which have tripled in less than 15 years, the dairy sector occupies a strategic place within Malagasy agricultural production. Potentially highly profitable, it also allows regular production, a greater spread of producers' incomes over the year, particularly during the lean season, and consequently increased commercial autonomy, in particular for women, and better resilience to climatic hazards – two particularly important assets in production systems dominated by rainfed rice. If the future of the Madagascan "milk" sector is promising, it is still limited by major constraints, linked to unbalanced and poor quality animal feed due to a chronic lack of fodder, inadequate livestock management often below basic hygiene and tabulation standards, uncertain animal health due to insufficient veterinary services, a non-existent cold chain and too few milk collection points resulting in numerous losses or unsuitable products consumption. In addition, producers are not sufficiently structured around common objectives that would make possible economies of scale through the pooling of purchases of inputs, better access to veterinary services, grouped sales of products and increased negotiation skills. prices with buyers.