togetherTV videos - Abrahim Mamani

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Abrahim Mamani
Age: 54
Home: Patarani, Viacha, Bolivia
Abrahim Mamani works as a dairy farmer in the mountainous Altiplano of Bolivia. He rotates his 18 milking cows to produce an average of 25 litres a day, earning him about $2.

Like most small milk producers in Bolivia, he sells his milk to PIL Andina, a subsidiary of a multinational company with a virtual monopoly of Bolivia’s dairy produce. PIL Andina bought the publicly owned diary corporation eight years ago. Since privatization PIL Andina has recorded huge profits but the price it pays small producers for milk has stagnated.
Filed in: Latin America & the Caribbean, Trade

Dairy farming in Bolivia

Bolivia is the poorest country in South America. While the average poverty level in Bolivia is 63%, the rural poverty statistics are much higher, reaching an estimated 80%
Small milk producers make up 83% of Bolivian milk production, with PIL Andina buying up to 70% of milk supplies
Local organisation Centre for Research and Training of Peasant Farmers, CIPCA offers credit to small farmers’ collectives so that they can set up their own milk factories to process their milk into a range of dairy products
By getting involved in processing small farmers substantially increase their profits. While this is an important opportunity for small farmers, they struggle to compete with PIL Andina

Bolivia

Bolivia
population: 8.8 million
population living in poverty: 63%
population living in rural areas: 36%

Filed in: Latin America & the Caribbean, Trade