Milk Quality, Cooperative Business Performance and Digital Traceability in Oromia, Ethiopia: Comparative Evidence from West Arsi, Chercher Oda Bultum and the Shoa Dairy Corridors

Milk Quality, Cooperative Business Performance, and Digital Traceability in Oromia, Ethiopia: Comparative Evidence from West Arsi, Chercher Oda Bultum, and the Shoa Dairy CorridorsAuthors: Kedir Nefo Biftu — Oromia Central Delivery Unit (OCDU), Oromia President Office Gomoro Dheresa—Oromia Bureau of Agriculture Kebede Hailu — Oromia Cooperative Commission Publication year: 2026 Publication DescriptionThis scientific article evaluates milk quality, cooperative commercialization, value-chain coordination, and digital traceability across selected dairy corridors in Oromia, Ethiopia. The study integrates evidence from the West Arsi Dairy Value Chain Workshop (2026), the Chercher Oda Bultum Farmers Cooperatives Union survey conducted on 24 July 2026, and administrative and field assessments from East and West Shoa. West Arsi workshop findings indicate approximately 100,000 litres of potential daily milk production, with around 50,000 litres potentially marketable, while reported added-water levels reached 7–15% in Negele Arsi and 17% in Shashemene. The Chercher Oda Bultum cooperative reported an annual milk collection of 380,000 liters and sales of 310,000 liters, identifying 70,000 liters requiring further reconciliation. East and West Shoa reported combined 2018 EFY milk production of approximately 248.63 million liters. The article identifies milk adulteration, quality-control limitations, inadequate refrigeration, fragmented collection records, incomplete mass-balance accounting, and weaknesses in market coordination as important barriers to commercial performance. Its principal contribution is a practical traceability and institutional accountability model connecting farmer and animal identities, milk production, collection, quality testing, cooling, buyer acceptance, invoicing, and completed payments. The findings provide evidence for dairy cooperatives, livestock experts, policymakers, processors, researchers, investors, and digital agricultural value-chain developers.