‘Concrete steps needed to enhance milk production’

LAHORE: The availability of milk for consumption shows a declining trend in the last 25 years and it is feared that the demand will substantially outstrip supply in the coming years if concrete steps are not taken to boost productivity of the dairy sector, an industry representative said on Thursday.
It is an alarming development that the annual growth rate of milk available for human consumption has come down to 3.21 percent in 2014-15 from healthy growth witnessed in the early 90s, said Haroon Lodhi Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Dairy Farmers Association, a representative body of large-scale dairy farmers of the country.
“As milk supplies are getting squeezed due to multiple factors, Pakistan is gradually becoming one of the major importers of milk,” he added.
While analyzing official milk production data of last 25 years i.e. 1990-2014, Lodhi said that average growth rate of yearly milk production has slowed down to 3.18 percent during last five years i.e. 2010-2014 as compared to 25-year average growth rate of 4.35 percent.
He reminded that official figures of milk for human consumption are derived by subtracting 20 percent (15 percent wastage in transportation and five percent in calving) of the gross milk production. The post-production losses, as per various studies, are much higher than 15 percent and thus milk availability scenario turns further bleak with subtraction of more milk from figures of gross production.
At the same time, the gross production figures as claimed in the economic survey are considered to be far away from reality because of unavailability of systematic data on animal population and production, he maintained.
Nevertheless, the national milk production shows disturbing trend, depicting a progressive fall reaching one of the lowest levels during the period under review.
Since 1990, the lowest average growth rate of milk production in a five-year term has been witnessed during 2000-2004, which stood at mere 2.86 percent, he said.
“Anything closer to two percent growth rate in milk production indicates that we are on the verge of becoming a milk-scarce nation as increase in milk production has hardly been able to meet population growth rate which is presently close to two percent.”
Such narrow difference in demand and supply points to the fact that yearly increase in milk production largely fails to satisfy the growing demand of the rising population of the country, he bemoaned.
Presenting another comparative analysis of milk production data, Lodhi said, since 1995, during last 20 years, dwindling milk production also reflects on decadal basis. The average growth rate of milk production was recorded at 4.63 percent during 1995-2004. In ensuing decade i.e. 2005-2014, average milk production growth rate slipped to 3.74 percent.
Because of low milk production, import of powdered milk has witnessed a constant rise. Pakistan, which is touted as the world's third largest milk producing country, is continuously importing milk powder since domestic output is not increasing.
Pakistan imported 30.4 million kg powder in 2014, 18.9 million kg in 2013, 30.4 million kg in 2012 and 27.7 million kg in 2011 from various countries including India.
Around 8.043 million kg, 9.077 million kg, 2.65 million kg and 0.539 million kg powder milk was imported from Indian in 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 respectively.
Owing to less-than-demand production of milk, complaints of adulterated and even fake milk are also on the rise, he said, adding that both producers and consumers are on the receiving end due to the failure to improve productivity of milk in the country.
Lodhi also underlined the need to take steps for lowering cost of dairy production. At national level, he stressed, “Government should announce a package for reducing cost of production of dairy farmers and give incentive for increasing milk productivity.”