Reducing On-Farm Food Losses
In the OIC Member Countries
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The number of spoilage bacteria in rawmilk depends on the level of hygiene during milking and
the cleanliness of the vessels used for collecting, storing and transporting the milk. During the
first 2–3 hours after milking, raw milk is protected from spoilage by inherent natural
antibacterial substances that inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria. However, if the milk is not
cooled, these antibacterial substances break down causing bacteria to multiply rapidly. Cooling
milk to less than 10°C may prevent spoilage for up to three days (ILRI Dairy Training Manual
2006). Souring of milk may not always be considered a loss, since it may be consumed by the
farm family or fed to animals (Staal and Kaguongo 2003).
Specific country or regional information is as follows:
 Tajikistan: Milk losses were reported to be 7.2% at production; 0.4% at postharvest and
storage; 0.7% at processing and packaging; 4.6% at distribution and 2.0% during
marketing for a total of approximately 15% (Nabieva 2015).
 Turkey: Milk losses of 10% were reported due to poor barn conditions, mastitis, poor
feeding and milking practices (Tatlıdil et al, 2013).
 Uganda: Spillage of milk on-farm is estimated at 10% to 52% (Kasirye 2003).
 East Africa: Postharvest losses of milk at the farm represented 1.3-6.4% of the value of
available milk at the farm level (Lore et al., 2005). The value of milk lost was calculated
for each season separately (with lower prices in the wet season when supplies were
higher), based on quantities of milk lost at the farm and market chain as determined in
the rapid appraisals done for FAO and ILRI. Current aflatoxin infection is due to infested
feed that should be thrown away (Gizachew et al., 2016).
Poultry
The FAO has classified poultry production systems in four categories or sectors based on the
level of integration of operations, the marketing system and the level of biosecurity. Sector 1
refers to the large-scale integrated commercial systems with high commercial orientation and
high biosecurity. Sector 4, at the other extreme, refers to village-level production systems with
households raising few birds for their own consumption or for local markets, andminimal levels
of biosecurity. Sectors 2 and 3 fall in between these two extremes depending on the level of
market linkage and the level of biosecurity.
FAO (2005) estimated the percentage of family scale poultry production, and found high levels
in nine OIC member countries in Africa (Cameroon 70%; Cote d’Ivoire 73%; Gambia 90%; Mali
90%; Nigeria 93%; Senegal 70%; Sudan 75%; Togo 70%; Uganda 80%) and in Indonesia (64%)
among the top 20. These small scale systems are generally of low productivity but also require
very few inputs, and so can be profitable enterprises, as well as a source of improved nutrition
for the family. Aflatoxin can be found in meat, but there is no available information.
Specific country or regional information is as follows:
 Bangladesh: Mortality rate in two sampled meat production broiler farms were 7% and
9% (Jabbar et al. 2007).