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Developing dairy industry on proper lines
Siraj-ul-Hasan
Milk processing plants are eligible for necessary incentives announced from time to time. These include duty- free imports of machinery and equipment and low-cost loans from banks. Producers are also allowed duty-free import of semen and embryo transplants of exotic breeds.
In Pakistan milk processing on modern lines was started in early 1960s. Between 1960s and mid-1970s, 23 modern milk pasteurization and sterilization plants were established, largely by private investors. These were located around Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Besides fresh milk, these plants recombined skim milk powder and butter oil, received under the FAO World Food Programme.
These dairy plants known as 'first generation plants' could not prove successful and had to be closed down except the one in Lahore. Their failure was primarily due to poor acceptance of the recombined milk and the short shelf-life of pasteurized milk. Other factors responsible for their failure were a number of operating problems, including lack of qualified technologists, inadequate supply of fresh milk and poor management.
What are called the 'second generation' dairy plants were those which were meant for the production of ultra high temperature (UHT) treated milk, the first of which was set up in 1977. The UHT-treatment involves heating milk at 130-150 degrees centigrade for two to three seconds. This process also known as "flash pasteurization" gives a high bactericidal effect to the milk and when packed aseptically, has a shelf-life of several months sans refrigeration. The second plant of this kind was established at Shaikupura. The UHT-treated milk gained more popularity when in aseptic packages manufactured by a private company styled as Tetra Pack Pakistan Ltd. Consequently, more and more UHT plants continued to be set up whose production surpassed the effective demand.
In the UHT manufacturing process the raw milk is first decreased or diluted with water and then it is heated to 130-150 degrees centigrade. Processed milk by regulation is standardised at 3.5 per cent butterfat and 8.9 per cent solids-not-fat (SNF). First milk usually contains more than 3.5 per cent butterfat and less then 8.9 per cent SNF. It enables the UHT manufacturers to bring the processed milk at the regulated standard by decreasing, selling price of raw milk. The milk producers of the Landhi Cattle Colony (considered to be the largest in the country) seem to be at liberty to increase their milk prices as and when they wish irrespective of the cost of production.
A few years ago the Sindh Bureau of Supply and Prices had done a useful exercise of estimating the milk production cost of Landhi milk.
According to this study, the cost during the year 1995 was scientifically worked out to be Rs 11.28 per litre as against the ruling sale price at that time of Rs 17.25 per litre. It was duly considered in a meeting at the Karachi Commissioner level, but the Landhi milk producers continued to sell the milk at Rs 17.25 per litre.
Something viable should be done by the relevant authorities so that quality raw milk at reasonable prices may be available to the consumers who per force use this milk which is cheaper than the processed milk, although not hygienic.
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Pakissan.com;
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