Have milk of indigenous cow and stay slim, says Dhankar

Tribune News Service

Karnal, February 6

Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar has an advice for women to stay slim: “Consume milk of indigenous cow, as it has low fat.” This is how the government is branding the milk of indigenous cow.

“The government is going to sell milk of indigenous cows as a brand in adjoining metro cities as it has ‘A-2’ type of protein,” he said at the 16th biennial animal nutrition conference on innovative approaches for animal feeding and nutrition research at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) here today.

Dhankar referred Haryana as a land of milk and curd. “Desha mai desh Haryana, jit doodh dahi ka khana (Haryana is the land where milk and curd are a staple diet).”

He, though, rued per capita availability of milk was 800 gram per day. “It should be 1 litre per person per day.” The minister batted for a policy for feed and fodder safety on the lines of food safety.

“The livestock sector is facing scarcity of feed and fodder. In a scenario of animal fodder being diverted to alternative uses, the problem is going to be serious.”

Haryana has 1.17 lakh stray animals and nearly 3 lakh cows in gaushalas. “It is a challenge to ensure availability of fodder for a large number of animals.” The government is going to hold a beauty contest of milch breeds in Rohtak on February 27 and 28, Dhankar added.

Gurbachan Singh, chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB), said: “India is at the top in milk production in the world, but per animal productivity is less; poor nutrition of animals is a major factor.”