Punjab has become largest milk-producing state: Ranike

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 15

Cabinet Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike, Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy, Fisheries, today lauded the state’s efforts to become the largest producer of milk in the country. Addressing a special seminar on ‘Milk as a complete diet’ by the Indian Dairy Association, North Zone, and the Punjab Dairy Department at the GNDU, he said with the right policies to support and by building infrastructure in the sector, it could also provide jobs opportunities to the rural youth.

“The state manages to produce seven per cent of the total national milk consumption with just 2.53 per cent milk-rearing animals and units. Given the right push and financial support, it could prove to be a promising sector for the state,” he said. Adding that scope of skill development and dairy development policies and subsidies given to the dairy farmers in the state has given desired results, he said the focus now is on increasing production. “We are planning to hold training and learning camps for the dairy farmers. We already have some encouraging activities like Pashu Dhan Championship, where the farmers with healthy, high-yielding animals are rewarded.”

GS Rajouria, vice-president, Indian Dairy Association, in his address said milk should be promoted as a complete diet. “In the junk-food generation, nutritional deficiencies are quite common. Children are developing bone deficiencies and growth problems due to the decreasing consumption of milk, which is an important source of required nutrients for our body. Punjab has approx 1032 gm of milk per person, still people here suffer from calcium and other deficiencies.”

Inderjit Singh, director, Punjab Dairy Development Department, said the solution to the problem could be arranging awareness camps among students to make them aware of benefits of drinking milk. “Health- awareness campaigns can help encourage children to understand the importance of milk as a health product. Also, they should be made aware of the methods of detecting adulteration in milk,” he said.