NAGPUR: The Central government’s statement on “no difference between quality of milk of foreign breeds of cow and indigenous cattle” has sent desi dairy farmers, who cash on the A2 cow milk, into a tizzy.
Union minister of state for animal husbandry Sanjeev Balyan, in a written answer in Lok Sabha earlier this week, said, “As per the information received from Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), there is no conclusive information available regarding difference between the quality of milk of foreign breeds of cows and indigenous cattle.”
The statement can be a setback for several young dairy enthusiasts in the country who have adopted desi cattle rearing over exotic breeds in anticipation that desi cow milk and its products can earn better money for them.
Nagpur houses GoVigyan Anusandhan Kendra (GVAK), a national organization dedicated for Indian cows. GVAK president Dr Hemant Jambhekar said the kendra has enough evidence that the desi cow milk is far superior. “We can share our research with the government if it wants. And, we would like the government to conduct confirmatory tests in its own labs. On proving wrong, we will correct ourselves. But, the government should at least start comparative research,” he said.
Rajendra Tamoboli from Raipur, who pioneered the A2 Milk Research Corporation in India, also questioned minister Balyan’s claim. “In India, none of the government institutions, including ICAR, has done any research on Indian cow’s milk. Still, the minister attributed his statement to the ICAR which is surprising,” he said.
“We have done a vast research. We are sure that Indian cow’s A2 milk is way superior. The A2 milk and milk products are highly in demand in western countries. We conduct tests and authenticate the A2 milk in our lab. We get samples for this test from 12 countries,” he said.
Scientists, who work in animal husbandry field, said that the minister’s statement is technically correct. “We keep on talking about health benefits of desi cow milk and health hazards of milk from exotic breeds. But, none of these two points are scientifically proved and backed by published research,” said Prof Sariput Landge from Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Science University’s Nagpur Veterinary College. However, he supported the A1 and A2 differentiation claiming that the A2 milk may give a better deal to dairy farmers.
A leading researcher on desi cows from Nagpur said that the quality of milk is nothing to deal with the breed of cows. “The difference in milk is location specific. Not only cows, but buffaloes, goat and sheep in our country have A2 milk. It’s unnecessary hype. We need to concentrate on better quality feed to our cattle which will automatically improve the milk quality, irrespective of breeds,” he said.