If 93% of consumers prefer locally produced dairy, why are local store shelves filled with imported products?

Our team at TAGHEER recently conducted a Dairy Value Chain Assessment in northeastern Afghanistan. We uncovered a classic market coordination failure.

Consumers deeply trust and prefer the taste of local village dairy. But this demand is mostly invisible in local stores / shops. Because local supply is highly seasonal, unaggregated, and lacks a functional cold chain, retailers view it as too risky, uncertain if they would be able to sell on time. Instead, they rely on imported powdered and UHT milk for year-round reliability and longer shelf life, even though imported dairy is costly / expensive!

To fix this, we don’t need highly complex regulatory overhauls. We recommended pragmatic, low-risk solutions:
– Simple, localized milk collection points (MCPs) to consolidate supply.
– Improved household-level processing and hygiene to extend shelf-life.
– Trust-based, informal supply agreements between village processors and local shopkeepers.

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