From hunting to gathering to residing and prospering, our ancestors have come a long way, utilizing the available resources their environment provided – the flora, fauna, and the elements – air, fire, water – to make their living easier and their growth faster.
The tradition continues, though today there is awareness, that the utilization must be tempered by sustainability as the resources thin and the realization dawns that nothing will remain for future generations to sustain their progeny.
Indeed, even as nature and its elements were worshipped, man stripped them of their outer garments, leaving just the core intact. Technology has altered and even speeded up the way we utilize nature, but no alternative has been found to generate food other by sowing seed by whatever means or water – other than by conserving its use or converting it for our use.
Milk or water? What’s your preference?
Milk is no substitute for water, but other than water, it is the most consumed drink in the world – it sustains life from birth (Mothers milk) to death and is the cornerstone of a million other foods – from butter, ghee, cheeses ( there are a million types), sweets and even curries! And so, it goes beyond being a sustaining food to being an additive too – Your morning cuppa coffee will never be the same without it. Will it now?
Technically speaking, Milk is defined as the whole, normal, clean, and fresh lacteal secretion obtained by milking a healthy animal 72 hours after calving. At the heart of it milk is made of four components other than water: fat, protein, lactose, and minerals. It is nutritious, life-sustaining and most importantly a source of renewable human energy!
Importance of milk in the national scenario
- India ranks first in milk production, accounting for 18.5 percent of world production, achieving an annual output of 146.3 million tonnes during 2014-15 as compared to 137.69 million tonnes during 2013-14 recording a growth of 6.26 percent.
- The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has reported a 3.1 percent increase in world milk production from 765 million tonnes in 2013 to 789 million tonnes in 2014.
- The target for milk production in the country fixed by the Government for the year 2016-17 was 163.7 million tonnes.
• The per capita availability of milk in India has increased from 176 grams per day in 1990-91 to 322 grams per day by 2014-15. It is more than the world average of 294 grams per day during 2013. - The country’s estimated demand for milk is likely to be around 200 million tonnes in 2021-22. To meet the growing demand, there is a need to increase the annual incremental milk production from 4 million tonnes per year in the past 10 years to 7.8 million tonnes in the next 8 years (210 million by 2021-22)
- India has about three times as many dairy animals as the USA, which produces around 75 million tons of milk, over 80 percent is kept in herds of 2 to 8 animals.
• Annual milk yield per dairy animal in India is about one-tenth of that achieved in the USA and about one-fifth of the yield of a grass-fed New-Zealand dairy cow.
• A peculiar feature in our country is the wide variation between regions in respect of the consumption of milk.
An Atmanirbar Dairy farm! Go Desi NN Farms
So, milk, like water is precious, and naturally, the animals that provide it – technology has not been able to create a substitute so far and may never be able to – are precious too. More than cows produce potable milk and each one is different in its taste and nutrition, but cows or cattle are the most preferred source of milk. In India, they have religious significance too, and are widely revered.
This being the case, work is worship when you run a dairy farm that produces and distributes fresh healthy milk! For Nishan D’Souza the founder of Go Desi NN Farms, a dairy farm based in Neelavara, Udupi that provides nutritionally superior and quality A2 farm-fresh milk it is exactly that – Worship!
The dairy farm follows natural farming methods and uses traditional means to breed Indian cows. Besides cattle, the farm also practices organic farming and agriculture of a wide range of crops. Cattle help here too with their dung being used as organic manure. Nishan is continuing to build innovatively on the legacy of his agricultural family. “As I was born and bought up on a farm, I am extremely attached to agriculture. When we moved to the city, nobody was using the place, so I thought of doing something. We started cultivating in the land again by growing local crops such as coconut, paddy, etc.”
Quality A2 milk and conserving the Indian cattle breeding system
Post his degree in Hotel Management, Nishan was working abroad, as a chef on a US-based cruise ship, but returned to his roots and he wants to remain rooted in his original moorings and that’s how he came to start Go Desi NN Farms.
The dairy farm consists of 7 desi breeds of Indian cows such as Rathis, Malnad, and Sahiwal, etc. With more than forty cows, including their calves, the dairy aims to promote the Indian breeding system of cows – Check out the name of the dairy farm – Go Desi NN Farms!
About the dairy’s production, Nishan says “Per day, our total capacity is 70-80 litters, which is distributed across Brahmavar, Udupi, and Manipal. But this farm is not only about milk. It is about food, and mankind’s sustenance. If everyone leaves their roots and moves to the cities in search of a penny who will grow the food for the cities? The younger generation I notice, even if hailing from an agricultural family does not give a thought to this issue. If everybody is running behind earning a penny, who is going to produce food?” And he is spot on with this question.
Nishan then addressed the question of pollution and adulteration. “We must be scared for our lives. The pollution and adulteration of foods is so much that it is becoming dangerous. Milk has been adulterated so badly nowadays; it is awfully bad for kids. What we produce here by a conscious effort is not just pure milk, but it is also healthy milk with nutritional benefits. You feed them toxic or garbage, you get the same result. So, the main thing is the feeding patterns of the cows; you get what you give!”
A team of 6 works with the cattle at the farm ensuring that there is no cross-breeding among the cows. Given the COVID-19 panic, the dairy farm has taken precautions and safety measures with the production, packaging, and distribution of fresh milk. “We have isolated our farm and we have stopped visitors contact, even with the labor. We do not let them go out unnecessarily; we buy resources for them. So, there is minimal contact, as the milk reaches infants, aging parents, or other people. We also make sure the bottles are properly sterilized.”
Nishan adds, ”Other than the cattle breeding, the farm also grows crops of vegetables, fruits, paddy and breeds poultry and other livestock. There is not much difference between agriculture and farming patterns in India and abroad. We have excellent practices and resources. But we are not organized and do not document our practices and resources. Maintaining documentation is something we are poor at and this is holding us back. Practice wise, we are perfect.”
“Patience is what we lack, especially in the breeding of animals. If you have 10 cows, there are only three cows who are going to give you good milk. Those are the cows you need to breed further. You need to have patience and a lot of observation, implementing the right things at the right time
Challenges and the future
Nishan’s dairy farm, which was established in October 2017, faced several issues during the lockdown. “We faced a lot of problems because of the availability of cattle feed. Selling the product was hard, as there were no shops open. We had sales point sin Manipal and Udupi where we used to sell. With those shops being closed in the evening and in the afternoon, we had a tough time and it did create a loss during that period but dairy products will never run out of demand and because of that we could overcome this challenge, ” said Nishan
Back to farming should be our slogan!
“Young people should give a thought to the question – Where will my children get their food from? People who are not involved in agriculture should start interacting with people who are doing farming. They need to go, see the process, and observe the difficulties in farming. Organic farming or organic milk is sold at a higher price, but they do not verify the reason for the price. The real fact is the cost of production, is higher in organic production” says Nishan
Technology might help us make our lifestyle much convenient and easy, but our traditional methods have their own importance. With farms like Go Desi and ideas coming from young and energetic minds like Nishan, India will not only develop as a country but also nurture the growth of a community.
