Milk cooling boxes given to 24 women milk traders in Mogadishu are already boosting sales of dairy products.
The local NGO, Somali Agricultural Technical Group (SATG), provided the locally made boxes with training on keeping them clean and hygienic.
Shukri Mohamed Jimale, who has been selling milk for 15 years, said it made a huge difference.
“The milk used to go off within a short time, reducing its value and quality. So we never used to make good sales,” she said.
Shukri said the cool box kept the milk fresh for several days.
Livestock and their products are currently among the pillars of the economy of Somalia. The lives of herders solely depend on meat and milk products which they take for sale to the nearest town centres.
Dr Ahmed Taakow Hassan, a member of the SATG, said the project sought to increase the value of dairy products to the economy. Livestock and animal products are among the pillars of the Somali economy.
Milk vendor Nadifo Ali Roble said her family had benefited.
“Where I used to make 200,000 Somali shillings, I now get 300,000, so there are big benefits for us,” she said.
