Gujarat will soon get its first commercial dairy for processing of camel milk into various products in Kutch district.
A proposal in this regard has been received by the Government from the Kutch District Cooperative Milk Union or the Sarhad Dairy.
A local union of camel breeders Kutch Unt Uchherak Maldhari Sangathan (KUUMS) has been formed to develop milk collection networks, while a Kutch-based NGO Sahjeevan has been roped in to mobilise the camel breeders and spread awareness with regard to economic and nutritional importance of camel milk.
Also, the Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) or Amul has agreed in principle for marketing of the camel milk which is high in nutrition and low in fat, a state government official said.
“The Government is planning to set up a dairy for commercial processing of camel milk, for which provision has been made in the 2012-13 budget,” the Director of Animal Husbandry, Dr A.J. Kachhiapatel, told PTI.
He said that a proposal for setting up a milk processing unit of capacity of 2,000-2,500 litres has also been received from Sarhad dairy.
This project has been taken up with two objectives — one to provide an alternative for income generation for the local community of cattle breeders or ‘maldharis’ and other to increase the use of camel milk which is high in nutritional properties, low in fat and easy to digest, Dr Kachhiapatel said.