Malnutrition is caused by deficiancy of protein available in dairy products. RS Dixit, chairman, Ananda Group, tells The Pioneer’s Vikas Kumar that affordable protein-rich dairy products certainly can save our children from malnutrition. Excerpts:
India is the world’s largest producer of milk. However, the country still remains home to the largest number of malnourished children. What ways can the Indian dairy association contribute to reducing malnutrition?
Actually, as everybody knows, in our country malnutrition is the biggest challenge. So what we (Ananda) is planning is to fortify the milk. The second challenge is protein deficiency. So we are planning to give best quality of products which are protein rich. We are going to launch range of protein rich products — high protein milk, high protein curd, high protein flavoured milk. So we have planned for this.
Cows and buffaloes remain the primary milk producing cattle, how is Ananda contributing to the best species of cows being reared further contributing to superior quality of milk?
There is a real problem is with the yield of the cow. So we are innovating to increase the yield in cows. In the desi breed our main problem is low yield of milk. It is our mission at Ananda to improve the yield by increasing/improving the feed and management. We are also engaging in the process of artificial insemination (with respect to desi cows). We have a company owned call centre, with 22 vets and 200 paravents who are engaging in artificial insemination at a blaze level.
Milk production in India during the period 1950-51 to 2017-18, has increased from 17 million tonnes to 176.4 million tonnes as compared to 165.4 million tonnes during 2016-17 recording a growth of 6.65 %. What about milk consumption has it increased in the same ratio as milk production?
As per my knowledge, you have data of only milk procurement and milk production. In today’s scenario, the per capita consumption in metro cities has increased to 300 ml. In some of the areas of Haryana and Punjab it is 800 ml. In developed countries it is much more. In USA it 850 ml per day and in New Zealand it is 900 ml. At Ananda we are planning one strategy for breed, feed and management of farmers. Our objective is to combat urban fortification malnourishment, protein deficiency and preservative.
Which variety of milk sees the maximum consumption? Which milk by-product is consumed in majority?
In Delhi and NCR it is full cream. The reason for this is because every household boils the milk and puts the ‘malai’ outside, then using it to make butter and ghee for their household. They want to purchase only one variety of milk as per my knowledge. The future is specialised milk — one type of milk for children, one for the elderly population. In developed countries milk has already been created ‘specially’ for lactating mother and pregnant mothers.
National Action Plan - Dairy Development 2021 - 2022 targets to double the income of milk producers at farm level by 2021-22 by providing the milk producers with greater access to the organised milk processing sector. How is Ananda dairy contributing to this?
Actually the Government has said they will double the farmers income by 2020. At Ananda we are trying to facilitate the process. We are trying to use our business segments to enable the farmer to double his income. We are improving the breed, increasing the feed pattern and giving training to the management. Management of the farmers — helping farmers become better, training them on their ground, training them about their job. Framers are taught what they should give to the cattle and what the outcomes will be accordingly. We have produced green fodder. We have taken the seeds from Australia and produced the same.