Dairy farmers in Kerala can feel proud as the Union Government has come out with a data saying that Kerala produces the highest quality milk in the country. As per the data, Kerala ranks first in producing highest quality milk while Karnataka and Punjab are in second and third ranks respectively.
The data released by the National Animal Husbandry and Dairy Department says that the dairy farmers in Malabar are producing the highest quality of pure milk in the country. As per the data, the average nuclear quality of milk procured by Milma from dairy farmers in Malabar has increased to 204 minutes (*The Methylene Blue Reduction Test Time – MBRT). The target for the next financial year is to further increase it to 236 minutes.
Methylene Blue Dye Reduction Test, commonly known as MBRT test, is used as a quick method to assess the microbiological quality of raw and pasteurised milk. This test is based on the fact that the blue colour of the dye solution added to the milk gets decolourised when the oxygen present in the milk gets exhausted due to microbial activity. The sooner the decolourisation, the more inferior is the bacteriological quality of milk assumed to be. This test is widely used at the dairy reception dock, processing units and milk chilling centres where it is followed as acceptance/rejection criteria for the raw and processed milk. A rapid colour change indicates lower milk quality, while a slower change signifies higher quality.
An official statement released by Kerala government says Karnataka and Punjab rank second and third respectively with nuclear quality times of 190 minutes and 180 minutes. “Our dairy farmers strictly follow a quality dietary regime for the cattle. Even the cattle sheds are properly maintained for the well-being of the cattle,” said a senior official of the State Animal Husbandry Department.
The data released by the Union Government also lists out the nuclear quality of various states and they are Tamil Nadu – 80 minutes, Andhra Pradesh – 30 minutes, Gujarat – 90 minutes, Himachal Pradesh – 60 minutes, Maharashtra – 60 minutes, Manipur – 60 minutes, Meghalaya – 120 minutes, Bihar – 60 minutes, Jammu and Kashmir – 90 minutes, Nagaland – 60 minutes, Odisha – 60 minutes, Rajasthan – 120 minutes and Sikkim – 60 minutes.
The dairy farmers in Malabar covering the districts of Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Palakkad come under the Malabar Region Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union. According to the details, 14 milk testing labs operate in the Malabar region to ensure quality at production and storage levels of the milk. The government through Milma has also put in place an adhesion control scheme through village-level workers to provide financial assistance to farmers for biogas plants, cattle sheds, and steel milk vessels.
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