March 1, 2013

Brazil's dairy farmers are struggling to keep their cattle herds, and their operations alive, following a severe drought in the north-eastern region, the worst in half a century .

Small-scale dairy farmers are especially the most affected in Afranio, as thousands of heads of cattle in the region are dying of starvation with pasture lands drying out. Dozens of local dairy farmers are forced to abandon their operations.

Afranio depends on the dairy industry and is the biggest producer in the western part of Pernambuco state.

The COOAFRA cooperative was created 15 years ago and has 180 local small-scale dairy farmers as members.  COOAFRA cestimates as many as 50 of its members have given up on the cattle business.

Normally, the cooperative pays US$0.67 per litre of milk, but with the milk shortages the price has risen to about US$0.80.

Costs associated with keeping cattle herds alive and producing milk for the cooperatives' dairy farmers in a time of drought has risen beyond the modest increase in price per litre that the ranchers are paid.

The rainy season in this part of Brazil ends in late March or early April, but with only one week of rain in the past year, dairy farmers in Afranio are bracing for the worst.

A local farmer says even if there is significant rain next month - and forecasts are not predicting that - it will take 3-4 years for the local dairy industry to fully recover.