The World Milk Day is observed on June 5 every year to underline the importance of milk and memorize man that he is a mammal and starts his life from mother’s milk. The day is also celebrated to spread awareness on pollution-free milk and sustainable existence.
The animals having milk producing glands are known as mammals. They are generally quadrupeds, but there are certain reptiles like whales and dolphins which are also mammals although they have fish like bodies. The mammals nourish their young with milk. The mammals generally carry hairs in their bodies. No other animals except mammal carry hairs on their bodies. Although the whales look hairless, yet hairs grow on its body at some period of their life.
Among mammals, the cattle are an important species. They come under the bovine category, which are domesticated. The cattle can be accommodated to any type of climates like tropical, sub tropical, wet temperate, dry temperate, alpine and tidal areas.
Man consumes milk of cattle and several other types of animals like buffaloes, goats, camels and donkeys, etc. There are variants of cow right from coastal region to riverine areas and hilly regions. The regional climate and natural diet improve the quality of milk and production of milk. Generally, Odisha cows produce better quality of milk. This happens only because of quality of food available to them within their habitat. But in case of goats, they are very much productive within the hilly and mountainous areas. Other than these areas, the goats are reared for protein and produce better quality of meat. But if proper care of the goats is taken during rearing stage, they will be more productive than the domestic cattle. In desert conditions, the size and shape including the entire morphological character of the animals are changed. Their populations should be sustainably maintained. The rearing of foreign breeds is costly and risky. Some hybrid types of cows are not suitable to the State climate. Since they do not get their required food and a suitable atmosphere, they are not able to survive. But our tropical species do not prove less economic if given proper care and nourishment. The Sindhri and Haryana breeds are more productive and economically viable within the Indian sub-continent. It is always good if the domestic breeds are maintained within their natural habitats.
The stall feeding of cattle is not new to India. The stall feeding cattle do not get the green foliage to eat. The village grazing grounds are now shrinking fast due to various reasons. So keeping cattle in rural areas is becoming a problem. Again, the economic condition of the rural people is not good enough to maintain cows for milk. The stall feeding of cattle is costly. Since cow breeding for milk production on an economic scale has not been a popular vocation in the State as yet, we have not been able to be self-sufficient in milk production and have to depend on other States for milk, milk powder and other milk-based products.
The rural people maintain cows for two purposes, one for getting manure for their agricultural fields and second, for getting milk for their house consumption. Commercial practices of production of milk is still absent.
Pure milk is now very difficult to get, be it in rural or urban area. Everywhere, it is adulterated. Even the milk federations are mixing some amount of powdered milk with the natural milk. Similarly, the byproducts of milk are also adulterated by the unscrupulous dealers of milks. This is a common phenomenon in our State. The administration is not being able to take proper action in this connection.
The unscrupulous milk dealers are using artificial hormone for production of excess milk. Consumption of this milk is very harmful for human health. The administration should take immediate action against the offenders.
(The writer is a former senior forest officer and an environmentalist. Tel no 9937460649)