HYDERABAD: Progressive Dairy Farmers Association of Telangana (PDFAT) has urged the state government to check adulteration of milk and ensure that pure milk is sold to people.
“Adulteration of milk by unscrupulous dairies or milk distributors is quite rampant in Hyderabad and dilution of milk with water is a common practice. Even the milk supplied by reputed brands cannot be regarded as pure and fresh as most of the brands supply milk prepared from milk powder or procured days before,” said K Bal Reddy, general secretary of PDFAT, at a press conference here on Wednesday.
Speaking about the holding of ‘Dairy Show 2015’ here from Saturday, he said.
Consumers were unaware of the milk procurement and processing and were ignorant of adulteration and other processes of milk. Unless the government and enforcing agencies like Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) took steps, consumers would not be able to get pure and fresh milk, he said.
About 22.50 lakh litres of milk is consumed in Hyderabad everyday. One-third of it is supplied by individual dairy farmers and two-thirds by branded dairies. While the milk supplied by milkmen reaches from the dairy to the consumer in about 12 hours, the branded milk takes at least two days to reach the consumer.
We should focus on ‘farm to consumer’ system to ensure that consumers get fresh milk directly from dairy farmers without any processing. This is possible only if dairy farmers are strengthened and given sops on a par with agriculture, said M Jitendar Reddy, president of PDFAT.
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