Future of Milk in India

Milk – Elixir for Healthy Life

Farm Fresh Dairy would always remain close to every Indian’s heart. The reason lies in our upbringing. Our forefathers very well knew the importance of pure milk and other milk products like curd, paneer, desi ghee, butter milk etc. and it was one of the main constituents of the daily diet of growing children and elders alike. Milk is complete food. It provides all the minerals and vitamins needed for an augmented growth and disease resistance. Pure milk indeed, is an elixir for healthy life.

What is the Problem with MILK

Like they say, man is its greatest nemesis. With cities expanding, population burst, decrease in cattle population and production and ever growing desires for profit, people made a mockery of the white revolution. Government agencies reveal that almost 70% of the milk consumed in the country is effected by adulteration that includes cheap milk powders, detergents, chemicals mixed for preservation by uneducated farmers, milkmen and middlemen. Impure water is the largest adulterant of them all. Milk in its natural form is almost 85% water and is prone to adulteration at every stage if its supply chain. Unfortunately, most of it does get adulterated and so does all its by products. Places where adulteration is not rampant, there is lack of cold chain arrangement and milk being a highly perishable product, has a limited window till consumption. To sustain large companies process milk and make SMP (Skimmed Milk Powder) to be used at a later stage as per the market demand. Reprocessing takes the sheen out of milk and what we consume is a processed health drink rather than fresh and pure milk. India is one of the largest contributors of milk in the world with around 20% world production. (read SMP) Thanks to Operation Flood that led to the White Revolution in the country but with constant fall of the international SMP prices and inventory pile up this business isn’t too feasible for large companies. Danone’s exit from Indian Dairy Business is a prominent take away. Large companies are sustaining by decreased payouts to dairy farmers/milk producers whereas cost to the consumer is the same or gradually increased depending on the regional dairy federations/cooperatives. This decrease in procurement price eventually leads to adulteration leaving no scope for the industry to sanitize till the time stringent measures are taken in terms of stricter laws and price correction of dairy products.

Where does India Stand?

Despite being the second largest producer of milk producing around 170 million metric tonnes annually, India’s average consumption per capita is just 300 gms/day. For comparison sake, the US and Europe intake is about 1 Kg/day. Though Dairy farming has deep roots in the Indian culture, this sector has largely remained unorganized. Only respite is the large cooperatives but that is severely marginalized by middlemen and very low cost of procurement making it unsustainable for dairy farmers. Government’s lack of focus on this area is also one of the key reason behind the vulnerable dairy sector with limited schemes which are either out of bound or painstakingly time taking goliath. It is evident since out of thousands of dairy farms operating in the country, 56% are the one with less than 5 cattle and only 2% with a herd size of over 150 whereas the average herd size of farms in the western countries is 150 and above.

Future of Milk in India

Clearly, the solution lies in structuring the dairy sector in India. Fortunately, the sentiment has started responding to it and last few years have seen traction on organized dairy but limited to Metro cities largely due to price vs. demand reasons. Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Pune are the biggest gainers with consumers now having a choice of pure milk, though at a premium price. Tier 2 and 3 cities have to yet to see any traction. There is a new revolution in the offing wherein professionals from a variety of expertise have sensed the silver lining and taken the risk to respond. More and more are joining in and there is a significant increase in large organized dairy farms with cattle capacity of 200 plus animals. Although, catering only to large cities right now.

“Purity is not a luxury but necessity and our children deserve it. Responsibility of a stronger nation lies on their shoulders and they need to be healthy. Adulterated nutrition is their worst enemy. Just as they have right to education, they need to have the right to unadulterated nutrition.” Says Gaurav Chauhan, Managing Director of Aahan Farms Pvt. Ltd., Meerut in the NCR region. There is no cap on the potential of the market. Pure milk & dairy products shouldn’t be the privilege of large cities only, he says; all you need is to ensure quality and purity.

“Aahan means Pure” and Aahan Farms is a Distinctive Agri Based Startup/Initiative of providing farm fresh unadulterated, free of any additive dairy products. Just a sip of milk at the farm and you will understand what Aahan products are about. We ensure our products are delivered farm to family within a few hours after production they receive it absolutely fresh with its natural taste intact, be it Milknjoy Cow or Buffalo Milk, Aahan Farms Pure Desi Ghee, Paneer or Butter. These are the purest dairy products available in this region.

Marketed under the brand name “Milknjoy” it is indeed the “Joy of Milk”. They also have organic fruit orchards where no pesticides or chemicals are used but organic manure to augment unbelievable growth. It’s a state of art modern dairy farm located in picturesque natural stunning surrounding. Visit www.aahanfarms.com or www.milknjoy.com for more details.