1 West African countries can roughly be classified according to whether they are predominantly dry i.e. arid and/or semi-arid (A/SA) or moist i.e. humid and/or subhumid (H/SH).
2 t LME = Metric tonnes of liquid milk equivalents.
3 Calculated using FAO (1978) conversion factors into LME:
1 kg dry milk = 7.6 kg LME
1 kg butte-roil = 2 kg LME
1 kg condensed/evaporated milk = 2 kg LME.
4 The border price equivalent of a litre of reconstituted milk or yoghurt (expressed in LME) is calculated as 0.1 times the c.i.f price of dry milk plus 0.03 times the f.o.b price of butter-oil in the corresponding years plus an allowance for processing and marketing costs averaging 70% of local retail prices in the countries considered.
5 The NPC is defined as the ratio of domestic consumer prices to border prices less domestic processing and marketing costs estimated at the official exchange rate.
6 Marketed milk is defined as locally produced and/or imported milk reaching urban and/or rural areas. Due to the subsistence role of milk in the arid zone and to the very low level of domestic production in the humid zone, it is assumed that all of the milk produced in these zones will be consumed in rural areas. The proportions of local production marketed in urban areas of the semi-arid, sub-humid and highland zones are assumed to be 10, 20 and 30% respectively. Given the state of storage, transport and distribution prevalent in different ecological zones, it has also been assumed that the proportions of dairy imports marketed in rural areas of the arid, semi-arid, sub-humid and humid zones, were 10,15, 20 and 25% respectively.
