Preliminary Observations on Milk Production Among the Fulanis on the Accra Plains.

Abstract

An understanding of the peasant cattlemen, their knowledge of animal husbandry, their animals, the quality and level of production is suggested as a starting point for improving dairy husbandry in Ghana. Average take-off of Sangas maintained on free range, kraaled at night, with no supplemental feeds over a 240-day period of once a day milking was found to be 307.8 pints (384 lbs.}. During the period of observation, grazing was of medium to poor nutritive quality. The take-off, though adequate for family use, is considered to be too low to be a basis on which to establish a dairy industry in Ghana. The take-off does not in any way represent the full potential of the Sangas under these environmental conditions. It is suggested that more work is needed to ascertain this. Average butterfat for these Sangas was found to be 4.48%