Dairy quality attributes, consumer preferences, and price premiums in Ethiopia: A review

Ethiopia’s dairy sector is dominated by smallholder mixed crop–livestock systems with relatively large herds but persistently low productivity. This productivity gap underscores the sector’s untapped potential and the need to address constraints across the value chain. Quality and safety problems ar...

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Autores principales: Shete, Maru, Kassie, Girma T., Yilma, Zelalem, Abate, Gashaw T., Minten, Bart
Formato: Informe técnico
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: CGIAR System Organization 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179066
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author Shete, Maru
Kassie, Girma T.
Yilma, Zelalem
Abate, Gashaw T.
Minten, Bart
author_browse Abate, Gashaw T.
Kassie, Girma T.
Minten, Bart
Shete, Maru
Yilma, Zelalem
author_facet Shete, Maru
Kassie, Girma T.
Yilma, Zelalem
Abate, Gashaw T.
Minten, Bart
author_sort Shete, Maru
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Ethiopia’s dairy sector is dominated by smallholder mixed crop–livestock systems with relatively large herds but persistently low productivity. This productivity gap underscores the sector’s untapped potential and the need to address constraints across the value chain. Quality and safety problems are widespread: microbial contamination, adulteration, and poor handling – worsened by limited cold-chain infrastructure – pose serious public health risks. Traditional open markets remain the main outlets, supplying fresh, flavourful, high-fat products that consumers prefer and can afford, but usually without assured safety or quality. Strong preferences for raw over pasteurized milk further depress demand for quality-enhanced products and weaken incentives for improved practices. Market structures rarely reward higher quality, as price premiums and willingness to pay for upgraded products are low, discouraging investment in better inputs, handling, and processing. Policy and institutional weaknesses – including weak input and service systems, poor enforcement of safety standards, limited value addition, and the dominance of informal markets – further constrain development. Together, these factors trap the sector in a low-productivity, low-quality equilibrium. Transforming the sector is essential and feasible, but will require stronger regulatory enforcement, expanded quality assurance, and quality-based pricing that realigns incentives, raises productivity, improves milk safety, and supports a more competitive, sustainable dairy industry.
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spelling CGSpace1790662025-12-20T02:17:38Z Dairy quality attributes, consumer preferences, and price premiums in Ethiopia: A review Shete, Maru Kassie, Girma T. Yilma, Zelalem Abate, Gashaw T. Minten, Bart diet quality consumer behaviour prices milk products value chains willingness to pay Ethiopia’s dairy sector is dominated by smallholder mixed crop–livestock systems with relatively large herds but persistently low productivity. This productivity gap underscores the sector’s untapped potential and the need to address constraints across the value chain. Quality and safety problems are widespread: microbial contamination, adulteration, and poor handling – worsened by limited cold-chain infrastructure – pose serious public health risks. Traditional open markets remain the main outlets, supplying fresh, flavourful, high-fat products that consumers prefer and can afford, but usually without assured safety or quality. Strong preferences for raw over pasteurized milk further depress demand for quality-enhanced products and weaken incentives for improved practices. Market structures rarely reward higher quality, as price premiums and willingness to pay for upgraded products are low, discouraging investment in better inputs, handling, and processing. Policy and institutional weaknesses – including weak input and service systems, poor enforcement of safety standards, limited value addition, and the dominance of informal markets – further constrain development. Together, these factors trap the sector in a low-productivity, low-quality equilibrium. Transforming the sector is essential and feasible, but will require stronger regulatory enforcement, expanded quality assurance, and quality-based pricing that realigns incentives, raises productivity, improves milk safety, and supports a more competitive, sustainable dairy industry. 2025-12-18 2025-12-19T14:11:38Z 2025-12-19T14:11:38Z Report https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179066 en Open Access application/pdf CGIAR System Organization Shete, Maru; Kassie, Girma T.; Yilma, Zelalem; Abate, Gashaw T.; and Minten, Bart. 2025. Dairy quality attributes, consumer preferences, and price premiums in Ethiopia: A review. CGIAR System Organization. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179066
spellingShingle diet quality
consumer behaviour
prices
milk products
value chains
willingness to pay
Shete, Maru
Kassie, Girma T.
Yilma, Zelalem
Abate, Gashaw T.
Minten, Bart
Dairy quality attributes, consumer preferences, and price premiums in Ethiopia: A review
title Dairy quality attributes, consumer preferences, and price premiums in Ethiopia: A review
title_full Dairy quality attributes, consumer preferences, and price premiums in Ethiopia: A review
title_fullStr Dairy quality attributes, consumer preferences, and price premiums in Ethiopia: A review
title_full_unstemmed Dairy quality attributes, consumer preferences, and price premiums in Ethiopia: A review
title_short Dairy quality attributes, consumer preferences, and price premiums in Ethiopia: A review
title_sort dairy quality attributes consumer preferences and price premiums in ethiopia a review
topic diet quality
consumer behaviour
prices
milk products
value chains
willingness to pay
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179066
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AT abategashawt dairyqualityattributesconsumerpreferencesandpricepremiumsinethiopiaareview
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