Farzana Rubab

Pakistan is the fourth largest milk-producing nation in the world as per Pakistan Dairy Association (PDA). Milk and dairy products are not only sources of nutrition, but also provide livelihoods for millions of people across the world.

Talking to WealthPK, Operation Manager Pakistan Dairy Association (PDA) Dr. Zubair said the dairy industry of Pakistan faced a host of challenges starting from acquisition of raw material to the end user. He said the industry comprised three main areas: 1) raw material procurement; 2) processing; and 3) marketing.

“The animal breeds are not adequately separated here. This is the main issue we face during the raw material acquisition phase. The second major issue is that the animal’s need for feed is not met in a sincere manner. The criterion is only met to a mere 60%,” said Dr. Zubair.

“Animal management is not considered properly, as the animals have to face harsh and harmful weather conditions, poverty, climate issues, and successive droughts,” he explained.

“Livestock has to face many diseases, which are incurable. Foot and mouth disease is atop the list which has a significant impact on milk yield and quality. These factors badly affect both quality and quantity of the product. In short, Pakistan is a country that faces milk shortage due to low production,” said the PDA official.

Dr. Zubair said only 5% of the total milk produced was processed, while the rest of the country consumed loose milk.

“In our society, people are not comfortable with the processed milk due to old cultural norms. So, the demand for processed milk is very low,” he said.

“The last phase of this industry is marketing. In Pakistan, the dairy product culture is discouraged. The government is not fully prepared to promote this industry. The world’s dairy industry is now working on multiple variants of each dairy product. However, our dairy industry does not get any leads to even promote its leading product – milk,” he said.

“The government should increase the dairy products advertising and target the dairy industry market in kids by prompting benefits of the preserved milk for their health,” he suggested.

Pakistan‘s dairy industry is clearly crucial as per OECD-FAO agricultural outlook 2022-2031. According to the report, world milk production (roughly 81% cow milk, 15% buffalo milk, and 4% for goat, sheep and camel milk combined) increased by 1.1% to about 887 Mt in 2021, primarily driven by an expansion in output in India and Pakistan due to a continued increase in dairy herd numbers and fodder availability helped by favourable monsoon rains.

Fresh dairy products represent the majority of the world's dairy intake, which are either unprocessed or barely processed, and whose share of global consumption is anticipated to rise over the next 10 years. Strong demand growths in Africa, Pakistan, and India are the main motivators for this.

Over the next 10 years, the share of fresh dairy products in worldwide consumption is expected to rise due to a greater demand growth in Pakistan and India, which is in turn driven by income and population expansion.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk