History

Established in 1948, Indian Dairy Association (IDA) is the apex body of the dairy
industry in India. The members are from the cooperatives, MNCs, corporate
bodies, private institutions, educational institutions, government and public sector
units. IDA functions very closely with the dairy producers, professionals &
planners, scientists & educationists, institutions and organisations associated with
the development of dairying in India.

The IDA since has a history of around six decades now, it has had the privilege of
being headed by several Presidents and some of them were of national and
international fame. The luminaries like Sardar Datar Singh, Dr. K.C. Sen, Dr. Z.R.
Kothawalla, Dr. D.N. Khurody, Dr. V. Kurien, Dr. P. Bhattacharya were the past
presidents of the IDA.

IDA has been providing a common forum to knit the dairy fraternity together and
thus, over the years, it has emerged as the reigning czarina of information. The
Association is managed by an apex policy making body called the Central
Executive Committee (CEC). The CEC is headed by President and supported by
two Vice-Presidents and 19 Executive Committee Members.

The ongoing CEC is spearheaded under the dynamic leadership of Dr. N.R.
Bhasin, IDA has emerged as a platform for assimilation and dissemination of
knowledge, as an important tool for policy making in the dairy sector, in India!
Besides, the IDA, in the recent time, has also succeeded to focus itself at the
national and international fora.

The IDA organises seminars, symposia and exhibitions on a wide range of topics
catering to various segments of professionals, scientists, institutions and
organisations associated with the development of dairying in India.

The IDA's Head Quarter is in Delhi and the zonal branches are in Bangalore,
Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi. It has State Chapters at Gujarat (Anand), Kerala
(Thrissur) and Rajasthan (Jaipur).
Milk- Development or Revolution

Published on: 01/31/2011

Rating:
Author : Dr.P.George K John (Animal Feed Specialist)

India, the cradle of Indus valley civilization, is well-known for the agriculture in
the past. Aryans had brought with them cows to generate power for agriculture
operations and milk for their consumption. The story of 'holy cow' is till in the
history and is used as a mighty tool in politics. Nevertheless India has been
recognized as the top nation in the world for milk production reaching 104 MMT
(NDDB). The advent of milk cooperative movement in the middle of the last
century under the unique leadership of Dr.V.Kurien lifted the country to such an
enviable position. He, a highly qualified and USA trained dairy engineer sacrificed
his whole life for the cause of milk industry in India and converted Anand a remote
village into the centre of operations for the country.

The development was totally based on the industry by introducing milk process,
product development and marketing to fetch reasonable income to the poor farmers
who had to throw away milk after two hours unless sold. Once the market got
established the operation agreed to spend some fund for the development of cattle.
The operation remained in the area of animal reproduction and veterinary
treatment. The trader's intervention in enhancing the price of cotton seed the then
feed for milk production forced Dr. Kurien to introduce the feed industry as a part
of his operation. Ultimately the milk revolution called 'Operation Flood' had the
following industrial wings

1. Dairy plant
2. Feed plants
3. Semen bank
4. Veterinary mobile units.

The major portion of the operation 'the milk production' remained invisible with
the poor farmers. Since no one estimated the costing at the farmer's door step and
the farmer considered the money flown to his hands as sole profit the system
flourished. Hence the milk industry in India had the strength of 340 million cows,
64 million buffaloes clustered to 150 dairy projects (NDDB 1990). Prof.
Ramaswamy who argued for bullocks claimed that 200 million cows produce 80
million bull calves in a year which contribute to the large quantity of milk
production in the country. The bottom line is there was no thrust to increase the
productivity of dairy cows/buffaloes in India. When large farms with high
producing cows were coming up in the developed countries there was no
encouragement for such operations in India. As long as milk was available at
reasonable price there was no cry from the public against the cooperative system
which remained unpolluted with politics with their bye laws. The milk price was
increased carefully to avoid public agitation. Operation flood also formed a milk
grid to flow milk to the deficient states to stabilize the price.

MILK: FEED RATIO.

Milk is produced in cow's udder by bio-transferring of feed nutrients like protein,

fat, fibre into milk protein, lactose and butter. The rate of conversion controls the
milk production efficiency. As a thump rule it is considered 1.5 kg milk is
produced by converting 1 kg dry feed (includes fodder and concentrates). In
advanced farms it is seen as 2.2 kg milk for 1 kg feed. According to the available
data the above figure is 1 kg milk for 1.5 kg feed in India (excluding the well
managed farms). In nutritional calculation 100g feed protein and 1500 KCals
metabolisisble energy is used to produce 34 g protein, 49 g lactose and 35 g butter.
But in India the above standard is not looked into. In every industry the energy cost
is the basis for production cost but here in milk it is the least. In India the milk
production per cow is less than 10 kg per day where as in advanced farm it is over
40 kg. The feeding standard worked out at BIS is targeting the low yielding cows.
The only standard which was worked out in 1990 is the bypass protein feed which
is getting fade away where as it is getting stronger in advanced farms. The
nutritional standard for balanced cattle feed was formed by ignoring the nutritive
values of fodder part. The scientific centres gave the advice to farmers to equalize
green forage 10 kg to 1 kg balanced cattle feed. Therefore the real costing of milk
has to be worked out on the feed: milk ratio. In order to increase the conversion
rate of feed to milk new feed technologies need to be engaged in feed mills.

NEW FEED TECHNOLOGIES

The feed plants are designed to grind, mix and pelletize the feed ingredients which
may not assist in increasing the nutritive value of the feed. The feed technologies
developed to increase the feed conversion are

• 1. Bypass protein technology

• 2. Bypass fat technology
• 3. Bypass energy technology
 • 4. Sweet haylage production to convert dry fodder to a high energy feed
• 5. Animal licks ( Mineral- anion cation blocks, nutrient blocks, medical
blocks, sugar blocks)
• 6. Fat-sucrose complex

The introduction of the above technologies in feed plants would largely support the
milk industry.

NEW APPROACH TO KERALA

Even though Kerala has well established dairy plants and feed plants the state is
facing acute shortage of milk. The adulterated milk imported from other states
support the demand. The price increase is inevitable. It is understood that a cross
bred cow has been adjusted to 350kg body weight and fed 12 kg feed including the
scarce paddy straw to produce 8 litre of milk with low fat and SNF. There is a hue
and cry for the forage availability in the state where land is shrinking with real
estate ventures. At the same time huge quantities of grass is burnt. A proper
technology will convert the grass into suitable forage feed. The 14-'6% protein
balanced cattle feed can only increase the profit to the feed mills and increase the
feeding cost for milk production. Kerala Govt is setting up Hi-Tech farms with
obsolete feeding technology. The latest feeding technology in farms is total mixed
ration (TMR). The feed plants in the state should concentrate to produce Hi Tech
feeds.

DAIRY GOATS AND BROILER GOAT & BEEF

When the state is developing small cross breed cows to reduce their forage demand
it is worth to ponder on the development of dairy goats. These small ruminants
could be well managed in small sheds with complete feeds which could be
developed to a FCR of 3 better than cows. GOAT MILK is an ancient food of
Keralites before the import of Sindhi cows. Vechoor cow is equal to a dairy goat.
The goat milk could be produced as 'designed milk' with low cholesterol and high
CLP. High CLP will reduce cancer in human.

The development of 'Broiler goat and beef' will be a supporting operation for dairy
industry. The special feeds for meat production could be produced in feed plants
and with less floor space these animals could be managed

INVITATION TO LARGE DAIRY COMPANIES IN GULF

Dairy farms are well established in the Gulf. Al Marai Company in Saudi Arabia
set up dairy farms in other countries including Pakistan. Kerala has a strong tie
with Saudi which feeds the state with enormous foreign exchange. If the above
company is invited like Dubai Govt for Smart city, to set up a dairy farm in Wynad
or Munar etc it will make sea changes in the dairy scenario in the state.

CONCLUSION

Milk has become an essential component in our diet today. Therefore making it
available at reasonable price is a requirement. More than politicking dairy
operation inducting technology would go a long way in ameliorating it. The
concerted approach may convert Kerala into another Denmark in Milk.