Petering out : Milk production dwindles as temperatures rise

Lahore faces a 28% decrease in commercial sale due to lockdown

LAHORE: With the advent of summer season, milk production in Punjab has started slipping while consumption too has gone down by 40 per cent in Lahore during the lockdown period. Whereas, citing climate change as a major reason, reports suggest a further 30 per cent drop in cow and buffalo milk production in the coming months of July and August. On the other hand, the decline in milk consumption in Lahore in the wake of the coronavirus lockdown has also become a source of concern for farmers and milkmen around the provincial capital.

According to Lahore Milk Seller Association President Chaudhry Sohail, milk production in cattle and livestock animals starts decreasing when temperatures rise starting early May. “It’s normal for milk production to decrease by five to ten per cent in May, 20 per cent in June and July, and up to 30 to 35 per cent by August,” said Sohail. “As for the consumption of milk in Lahore, it is estimated at three million litres per day. Out of which 20 to 30 per cent goes to commercial uses, whereas the remaining 70 per cent goes to domestic consumers.

Demand for camel milk continues to increase in Punjab

Most of the milk for commercial purposes is used by teahouses, hotels, sweet shops and milkshake makers,” he informed. However, the current lockdown has severely affected the commercial sale of milk, which has come down from 30 per cent to as little as two to three per cent, while consumption by domestic consumers too has seen a 10 per cent decrease in the last few months.

As per experts from the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, when temperatures reach 35 degrees Celsius, dairy cows and buffaloes reduce their diet by eight to twelve per cent, as a result of which their ability to produce milk is also affected.

“The production of milk begins to stabilise in October and by November, animals are back to giving their full capacity of milk and continue doing so for another three to four months.

But given the decrease in milk production during May to August, some milkmen use chemicals to boost the animal’s output.

Milk price spikes as demand rises in Muharram

Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has previously wasted millions of litres of unhygienic and chemically induced milk produced in May. Talking to The Express Tribune on the matter, PFA Director General Irfan Memon said that the adulteration cannot be stopped until and unless a complete ban is placed on the sale of open milk. “We are trying to gradually curb the sale of open milk. We have started the sale of pasteurised milk in Lahore Township and as per the instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the sale of open milk in Punjab will be suspended completely from the year 2022,” Memon asserted.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2020.