Gujarat: Care for some donkey milk? It’s Rs 7,000 a litre!

VADODARA: Gujarat’s breed of indigenous donkeys will have its own milk dairy! And, to shock you further, this donkey milk — truly liquid gold — fetches the world’s costliest price of Rs 7,000 per litre! Now, isn’t this worth braying about?
But before you wrinkle your nose, here’s another prized piece of information: In ancient Egypt, Cleopatra is said to have taken baths in donkey milk to preserve her legendary beauty and youth. Known to contain anti-ageing, antioxidant and regenerating compounds, donkey milk is indeed precious.

Thanks to its indigenous Halari breed of donkey, a breed which is mainly found in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region only, Gujarat aims to add the beast of burden to its list of milch animals and literally milk riches.
The National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE) has embarked upon the an innovative project to start a donkey milk dairy in Haryana’s Hisar.
Two years ago the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR), the nodal agency of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for registration of new breeds had granted independent breed status to Halari – the second donkey breed – to be recognized in the country and the first one from Gujarat.
“Halari donkeys are shorter than horses but taller than other normally seen donkey breeds. They look almost like a small horse and have snow-white fur,” said Rank, adding that the breed has existed in the Halar region for more than 200 years. National recognition of a breed paves the way for better conservation and preservation of its genes.
“Halari donkeys are maintained as nucleus stock at government horse breeding farm at Chanasma in Patan district for the past five years. In fact, it was from there that 11 Halari donkeys were supplied to NRCE,” said Dr D N Rank from Anand Agricultural University’s Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding.
For the milk project, the donkeys are currently undergoing breeding at Hisar, he said.
College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, AAU, the directorate of animal husbandry of Gujarat government and Bhuj-Kutch-based Sahjeevan Trust had collaborated for NBAGR’s national recognition of the breed.
Halari breed has derived its name from Jam Sri Halaji Jadeja, said to be the ninth generation grandfather of Jam Sri Rawalji Lakhaji Jadeja, the founder of the Halar region in Saurashtra. Halar was first established with this name by Jam Shri Rawalji Lakhaji, a Jadeja Rajput, in 1540.
In its native tract – Jamnagar and Devbhumi Dwarka districts (earlier known as Halar region) – its distribution is spread over 18,176 sq km. Its population is estimated to be 1,112 in these two districts.
In the west, a litre of donkey milk which is known for its nutraceutical and therapeutic properties costs up to Rs 7,000. Globally, many firms sell cosmetic products like soaps, skin gels, face wash – all made from donkey milk as niche products as it is known to contain compounds that keep the skin hydrated and prevent wrinkles.