Tapping the usefulness of non-bovine milk

Context: The demand for the milk and milk products of non-bovine has begun to swell in the recent past.

What are non-bovine milk and milk-products?

It refers to the milk and milk products such as milk powder, cheese, yoghurt, ice cream, chocolates, cosmetic products, and various other kinds of specialty items from the animals, such as goats, sheep, camels, donkeys, and yaks (other than cows and buffaloes).

What are the reasons for growth of non-bovine milk?

Role of several start-ups and established dairy brands: They have begun manufacturing milk products with non-bovine milk and also such products are readily available in major dairy product outlets and online marketing channels.

The commercial importance: It could be an excellent functional food and also a key ingredient in pharmaceuticals. It could be used for preparing super foods, bio-functional immunity-boosting food supplements, and pharmaceuticals to impart immunity to human beings against several diseases, including Covid.

Employment: Non-bovine animals are reared by the poor and landless people for their livelihood. They are valued also for their meat and other products like hair (wool) and skin (hide).

Some of the non-bovine animals are used as draught animals for transportation and farm work.

There is growing awareness of their nutritional and therapeutic virtues: Such items are being used as carriers of probiotics in fitness foods and as healing agents in various drug formulations. Nowadays, many doctors also routinely prescribe such products to treat various diseases.

Specific healing qualities and other valuable traits of the milk of various non-bovine animals

Camel milk: it is useful in managing diabetes, tuberculosis, and viral and bacterial infections, apart from autism.

Goat milk: It is believed to be useful for cardio-vascular diseases, allergies, inflammation, diarrhoea, chikungunya, asthma, and eczema, apart from dengue.

Sheep milk: it is an excellent source of bioactive peptides (amino acids) found useful in heart diseases, epilepsy in children, cysts, gall stones, and bacterial and viral infections.

Donkey milk: It can be helpful in managing dermatitis and other skin diseases, hepatitis, gastric ulcers, and cardio-vascular ailments. It is used as an alternative to mother’s milk. It is used in stamina-boosting drinks for sports persons because it is low in cholesterol and fat but high in energy.

Yaks milk: It is thought to be good for hypertension, diabetes, cardio-vascular troubles, and cancer.

What are the issues in promotion of the non-bovine milk?

High prices: the goat milk was priced more than Rs 300 a litre. This milk is believed to boost the platelet count in blood and quicken recovery of dengue patients.

Shrinking grazing resources: It is becoming a major constraint in feeding these animals.

The population decline: Some species population is either stagnant or dwindling, especially in areas where common grazing grounds have vanished or are in poor shape.

Policy issues: Measures taken have backfired. For example, The Rajasthan’s camel protection law —the Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 2015 by barring the transportation of camels out of Rajasthan has virtually destroyed the market for these animals, disincentivising camel herders to breed and bring them up for sale. As a result, the camel population is estimated to have shrunk by a huge 35 per cent.

Way Ahead

A well-advised breeding policy is needed for the genetic upgradation of non-bovine mammals to boost their productivity. For example, open up the health care and artificial insemination network meant for the bovines for the non-bovines as well.

The need is to incentivise the pharmaceuticals and health foods industries. They can gainfully exploit the therapeutic traits of non-bovine milk by developing innovative products for domestic and export markets.

Source: The post is based on an article “Tapping the usefulness of non-bovine milk” published in the Business Standard on 20^th March 2022