Potential of camel production and management Practices in Ethiopia: Review

The camel is one of the most vital domestic animals species for pastoralist livelihood as much as their blood circulation. The annual camel milk production of Ethiopia in 2018 is estimated to be 176113 tones. Camel produces considerable amount of milk and for long period of time than other milk producing animals under harsh conditions. Meat quality is largely age dependent and as other animals, good meat is from young slaughtered camel. Camel herd sizes per household vary from few heads to several hundreds. The proportion of male to female animals in breeding herd is not equal because of higher number of female camels in the herd as compared to male camels. During the dry season all female camels are shifted to areas with better feed accessibility but male camels are usually reared around settlement area. Mostly male camels are used for transportation of commodities. Breeding management comprises of selection of best animals for next generation and/or culling of the worst animals from the herd, and controlled breeding. Camels start breeding at the end of the dry season and the beginning of rainy season and continue thought the season. Camel can be categorized under seasonal breeding animal species. Prevalence of disease in pastoral areas of Ethiopia is principal constraint of the pastoralist in their camel production. There are inadequate researches and reports have been conducted on potential of camel production and management system in the country. Therefore, this review paper is going to present potential of camel production and management practices in Ethiopia. Key words: Camel, management practices, production potential.