[Economics of Cow Milk Production In the Area of Eastern Ghouta]

The current study reflected the breeding conditions prevailing in the study area. Field study showed that traditional breeding ways are still followed in Eastern Ghouta. Those traditional ways included closed cow barns, poor in terms of necessary ventilation, lighting, and hygiene, which are elemental in enhancing animal productivity. Feeding patterns are also poor, and are not instructed by scientific rules, in terms of food portions presented to the flocks, and nutritional elements they contain. This caused unnecessary financial burdens on the breeders. The lack of knowledge of basic flock feeding, in terms of portions of the various kinds of seasonal fodder, and portions necessary to animals in their various productivity phases increased breeding costs: feeding was found to absorb 96% of the total cost to produce one kilogram of milk. Still, despite the high feeding costs, cows don't reach reasonable productivity levels too. Another reason behind high production cost in the studied area is the health problems suffered by the dairy cows, most notable of which are mastitis, and recurring failed artificial insemination. Mastitis causes a drop in milk quantity and quality, in addition to the costs of the treatment and medication. And recurring failed artificial insemination means losing a fertility period while incurring the costs of feeding and looking after the animal, and the cost of trying another insemination, and not having a new animal.   Another indicator of the primitive breeding ways is the lack of records to keep track of the development of the animals, their procreative status, and productivity and health conditions, which would enable the breeder to recognize signs of unusual behavior or developing problems. Another negative observation is the lack of modern marketing activities. The produced milk is usually directly sold to milkmen in unhealthy plastic containers. During this, the milk is not well preserved, and the producers are subject to pricing manipulations, as there is no official pricing policy that takes into account the cost of production. In short, breeding dairy cows in the area of Eastern Ghouta suffers serious shortcomings, among which are uneconomical feeding habits, insufficient health care of flocks, and bad barns. The final product is marketed in primitive ways, and transported in unhealthy conditions, and prices are dependent on supply and demand, through middlemen acting between the producers and the processing factories or end-users. The mentioned shortcomings caused the annual average production in the area studied not to exceed 3000 _ 4000 kilograms per season. So it is highly recommended to work on enhancing prevailing breeding ways, by raising awareness through guidance programs, and rebuilding trust between the breeders and guidance centers in the area.