Powdered milk in the land of cows

In southern Sudan, cattle matter.

The Dinka and other cattle-herding people give each of their cows a name according to their markings. Wealth is concentrated in cows – the larger the herd, the more powerful their owner. Bride-price is often calculated in cows. People often say that the cattle herders of South Sudan grow so tall is because of their milk-based diet.

And there’s plenty of them – the cattle to human ratio of 0.8 per capita in southern Sudan is one of the highest in Africa.

And yet at breakfast in my hotel in the southern Sudanese capital, Juba, they put out bowls of imported powdered milk, or cartons from Kenya, for tea and coffee.

It’s a small example of the problems this new nation faces. It’s been at war, on and off, since shortly after Sudan’s independence in 1956. The conflict with the north which started in the 1980s prevented any development at all in the south – the few roads, hospitals and schools which existed were destroyed or crumbled. No business could flourish.

So there are no facilities to pasturise milk. Refrigeration lorries are scarce, and the roads are so terrible, trucks take many hours or days to get anywhere. In the rainy season, many places are impossible to reach by road. In other words, there is none of the basic infrastucture needed to get a commercially viable milk business going. The Dinka and the many other people who herd cows drink pure, fresh milk while city-dwellers have to put up with powdered.

South Sudan, which will declare independence from the north next week, will be judged by its ability to improve the lives of its citizens. They are amongst the poorest and most deprived people anywhere, and hopefully new schools, hospitals and roads will be built.

But another measure of progress will be whether Africa’s newest country can capitalise on one of its greatest assets – its cattle and their milk.

Follow Lindsey Hilsum on Twitter: @lindseyhilsum