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Indian dairy research is advanced and progressing in the right direction
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Monday, 21 February, 2011, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Nandita Vijay, Bangalore
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Indian dairy research and development holds immense potential for the future. The focus is on the development of value-added products. This is where innovation is driving the dairy industry on a verge of an exciting and economically strong future. As part of the by-product development efforts ‘whey’ is an outcome of several novel dairy industry’s products. In India, too whey is produced as a by-product during the manufacture of dairy products like chhanna and paneer. At the 39th Dairy Industry Conference held in Kolkata from February 4-6, 2011, Dr. Satish Kulkarni, head, National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Southern Campus, Bangalore, spoke on ‘Carbon Credits through Whey Utilization’. He highlighted that whey produced in India annually utilises roughly 27 million KW of energy, which could annually credit products like chhanna and panner with an equivalent carbon foot print of 35,000 tonnes. During an interaction, Dr Kulkarni spoke to Nandita Vijay about the immense capability of dairy research prospects in the country. Excerpts :
How would you describe the current scene for dairy research in the country?
I strongly feel that the scene for dairy research is satisfactory and advanced in the country. In fact, India is endowed with expertise in all aspects of dairy research which covers 14 to 15 fields. In my opinion, there is adequate availability of qualified personnel to handle any situation in the country for the next 20 years.
What are India’s current strengths in research for dairy and product development?
The strengths of India in the research for dairy and product development are high. There are several institutes involved in basic and applied research with respect to milk production and product development. In addition, there are at least 14 universities with Dairy Science programmes which are involved in research and product development activities. Further, India has milk production from both cow and buffalo which has given an advantage for researchers to appropriately modify the process for handling milk from these species. Additionally developments have taken place for the processing of milk from goat and camel.
Where does India stand in the international market in the field of dairy research?
In the international research market, India ‘s position is among the top 10 as far as research, teaching and development activities are concerned. However, to capture the market abroad is difficult as domestic demand from milk and milk products is very high.
What according to you are the visible trends in the space?
Visible trends seen in the space are productivity enhancement with respect to milk production and also to improve the operational efficiency of the milk processing sector at all levels right from the farmer to the consumers. Newer versions in different brands of health-based products are likely to enter in the coming years.
What are the key challenges before researchers in the field of dairy to be overcome and the likely solutions from an expert like you?
Challenges before researchers are to enhance productivity in the light of the decreased interest in agriculture as observed by eminent scientists including Dr M S Swaminathan. In addition, there is also the issue of managing feed and fodder resources in the country. There are certain policy decisions relating to our beliefs and traditions like not culling animals which also put a heavy burden on the demand for feed and fodder resources. Thus, researchers have also to carefully balance for the effective utilization of available resources to enhance output.
How easy is to get the right manpower for research & development in the area of dairy research?
The manpower availability in India is satisfactory as there are around 16 dairy institutions including universities involved in teaching and research programmes. About 10 per cent of these candidates are interested to pursue career in research and development given an opportunity. Thus, I do not see any problem in the area of research and development in the country.
Could you provide us an overview of NDRI research from Bangalore?
NDRI headquarters at Haryana is the flagship organisation for carrying out dairy research and development activities in the area of milk processing and product development. The Institute has its regional stations at Bangalore in Karnataka and Kalyani in West Bengal. The Bangalore Institute caters to the southern region and the West Bengal unit assists the needs of the east and north-east region.
What are the likely future efforts of the institute for 2011-12?
For the future, the institute at Bangalore is actively involved in formulating policy papers for milk production from the small, medium and large dairy farming activities. Additionally, the institute in Bangalore is also engaged in assisting the dairy industry in southern region for diversification, ensuring availability of milk products and for launching of nutritionally superior health based and fermented products in the region.
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