Mother Dairy unveils naturally degradable milk pouch

Mother Dairy on Tuesday unveiled India's first naturally degradable milk pouch in soil that would leave no trace of plastics in environment. The company will use this new degradable milk pouch in its cow milk variant sold across Delhi-NCR from June 5, which marks World Environment Day.

Mother Dairy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). "The newly introduced packaging is designed to naturally degrade in soil within a few years rather than centuries, and importantly, this transition is being undertaken without any impact on consumer milk prices," Meenesh Shah, Chairman of NDDB, said. Mother Dairy is committed to safeguarding the planet, he said.

Mother Dairy said its new milk pouch uses a first-of-its-kind degradable packaging innovation that enables the material to transform into bioavailable wax, which is naturally broken down by microbes present in the soil to turn it into natural elements. "The launch of India's first naturally degradable milk pouch by Mother Dairy is yet another milestone reflecting the sector's continued ability to lead and set new benchmarks, while remaining committed to a future-ready and sustainable ecosystem," Shah said.

Jayatheertha Chary, Managing Director of Mother Dairy, said, "We undertook over four years of research to develop a naturally degradable milk pouch that leaves no trace of plastics in the environment."

While these milk pouches will continue to remain recyclable, he said the key differentiator lies in their ability to degrade into natural elements, thereby helping address the challenge of fugitive plastic.

Mother Dairy, which was commissioned in 1974, manufactures, markets & sells milk and milk products including cultured products, ice creams, paneer, ghee, etc. under the 'Mother Dairy' brand. The company also has a diversified portfolio with products in edible oils under the 'Dhara' brand and fresh fruits & vegetables, frozen vegetables & snacks, pulps & concentrates, etc. under the 'Safal' brand.

On the issue of price rise on its milks, Shah asserted that the milk supply situation and procurement of milk from farmers in the country are comfortable now. On concerns related to supply of fodder in view of IMD's forecast of below normal monsoon, Shah said there should not be any problem in the total availability of fodder.

He said there could be problem in some states, but that could be compensated by other parts of the country. Shah said the country's milk production is expected to rise 4-6 per cent this fiscal year from around 250 million tonnes in the previous year.

The NDDB Chairman noted that growth in milk production annually is in line with rising consumption and asserted that there would not be any issue in meeting this growing demand for dairy products over the next 10-15 years.

Shah said government has taken various measures to boost milk production through improvement of animal health and their productivity. More dairy cooperative societies are being formed across the country.