Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan’s first automated dispenser unit is going to launch next month for the provision of pure and cheap milk under the aegis of the Punjab government, Punjab Livestock & Dairy Development Board (PLDDB) Chief Executive Officer Saira Iftikhar said on Tuesday.

While talking to members of Agriculture Journalists Association, PLDDB CEO Saira Iftikhar said that this automated milk dispenser unit was manufactured in the country at a cost of Rs 0.6 million. The basic idea of introducing this machine is to encourage dairy farmers to sell their milk with this vending machine. Current milk scenario in the country is raising many questions and demanding interventions by public sector to introduce new dairy businesses as pilot.

Elaborating details of the milk vending machine project, she said that around 2,000 litres milk is being produced from Sahiwal cow breed at Khizerabad Farm near Sargodha and would be sold through automated dispenser unit at a bazaar in Township area at Rs 75 per litre. Consumers can themselves see automatic packing of the milk after paying the amount. The purity of milk will be ensured with sealed packing, she said, adding that this healthy milk comes from those cows who have been bred and reared at green pastures with seasonal fodders along with corn silage and other healthful minerals without any impurity or harmful substances like aflatoxin fed to them.

The full of nutrients whole milk is labeled as A2 type which makes it more digestible, nourishing and healthier than other cows’ milk available in the market. With four percent fats and 3.60 percent protein, it is an ideal milk for all, enriched with calcium, vitamin D, phosphorous, protein, potassium and healthy fats. There are no additives included in this milk, she claimed. The whole idea of launching this milk is to show dairy farmers a successful business venture for them as well as consumers’ benefits, she observed.

She recalled that a similar automated milk project was conceived in late 2011 by the PLDDB on the direction of Punjab chief minister, but it was stopped before its launch due to certain reasons. Now keeping in view the national scenario on milk, Saira Iftikhar said the board has revived the project and wanted to launch across the province after piloting as directed by the board of directors. In the last week of the current month, this vending machine has been scheduled for the soft launch while in the first week of May, it is expected to be launched on the ground.

PLDDB project executive Hafiz Wasi is also working on bridging demand supply gap of fodder. “We are facing acute shortage of green fodder as only 51 million tonnes of fodder was available against its demand of 200 million tonnes,” he said, adding that silage is the best solution to provide healthy and nutrient feed to animals during short supply of green fodder. Until now, successful launching of four production sites across Punjab has been done under the aegis of the board.

Hafiz Wasi maintained that about six million tonnes of cobs are available in the country for production of maize cob meals which is sustainable and cost effective alternate feeding resource.

Published in Daily Times, April 25^th 2018.