Review on milk production performance, challenges, and opportunities of dairy cows production in oromia regional state, Ethiopia

Abstract

This review was conducted to review the information on milk production performance, challenges, and opportunities of dairy cattle production in Oromia. Supported management practices, marketing situations, feed sources, and feeding systems the foremost milk production systems are identified as rural milk production, peri-urban, and concrete milk production. Ethiopia holds large potential for dairy development mainly thanks to an acceptable environment and large cattle number that contains 65.35 million cattle populations. While there is a large milk cow population and favorable climatic conditions, self-sufficiency in milk production is low. The mean values of daily milk yield (DMY) range from 1 to2.8 liter/day with lactation length (LL) of 6.78 to 9.13 months for indigenous breeds, 6.5 to fifteen liters/day with lactation length of 7.52 to 11.67 months for crossbreed cows respectively. Both DMY and LL were significantly stricken by breed, parity, and year of calving. Challenges for dairying vary from one location to a distinct one. The foremost challenge that affects milk production performance of cattle in Oromia includes feed shortage, high feed cost, land shortage for farming of improved forage, insufficient veterinary services, no operational breeding strategy and policy, and low productivity of the indigenous cattle breeds are the foremost important factor limiting dairy products within the region. Therefore, to enhance these milk production performances of the dairy cow to determine genetic improvement policy, strategy, and breeding program and implement well management practices.