Milk parlour inaugurated in Arunachal to boost yak farming

Itanagar, Sep 17: The ICAR-National Research Centre on Yak (NRCY), Dirang, West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh has opened a milk parlour in its yak farm at Nyukmadung for production of value added yak milk products.

The milk parlour namely ‘Nyukmadung Dairy’ was inaugurated by Dr S P Kimothi, Member, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) during a ceremony held at the Nyukmadung yak farm of the institute on Friday in presence of ICAR-NRCY Director Dr Mihir Sarkar, Director, ICAR-NRC on Pig, Rani (Guwahati) Dr V K Gupta, Director, ICAR-NRC on Mithun, Medziphema (Nagaland), Dr Girish Patil S and other dignitaries.

A release from the Director, ICAR-NRC on Yak said, the institute has been working in this respect to prepare diversified products with and value addition of the yak milk viz. designer paneer, yak ghee, dahi, ripened and mozzarella cheese, churkham, etc.

The milk parlour has been started in its yak farm at Nyukmadung for production of value added yak milk products and to conduct capacity building programmes for the tribal yak farmers with hands-on practices on value addition of yak milk and preparation of diversified yak milk products to get yak herders more incentives from yak herds and make yak farming better remunerative.

During the event, a ‘scientist-farmers interactive meet’ was also conducted under the chairmanship of Dr Kimothi which was followed by input distribution to the tribal farmers under Scheduled Tribe Component (STC) of the institute. All the dignitaries pointed out the scope and prospects of yak milk and importance of value addition and diversified product preparation. They all suggested the yak herders to avail the opportunity to take training from ICAR-NRCY and make their yak farming more remunerative.

Yak (Poephagus grunniens) is the lifeline of highland ethnic communities living in the Himalayan and Trans-Himalayan region under extreme high altitude cold climate which is not favourable for any kind of agrarian activities. It plays an important role for the livelihood of the highlanders, catering their essential needs through its products (milk, meat, fibre, hide, dung) and draft power for transportation.

Yak milk and milk products are the integral components of the diet of these highland communities, thriving a healthy and productive life under extreme hypoxic and harsh environments without supplementation of any vitamins and minerals. The unique amino acids, fatty acids, high levels of vitamins and specific enzymes, with the beneficial microbes present in yak milk exerts their beneficial impact in the health of the yak herders in high altitudes, Dr Mihir Sarkar said.

Yak milk is creamy white, thick, sweetish, fragrant and rich in protein, fat, lactose, minerals and totals solids than cow milk. It contains 15.63-19.63% total solids with 5.29-8.73% fat, 3.45-4.27% protein and 0.64-0.82% ash. In general, yak milk is considered as naturally concentrated milk enriched with a higher nutrient density and loaded with omega 3 fatty acids, amino acids and antioxidants; it also has vitamins and minerals.

Although, the raw yak is inadequately available for consumption due to the remote habitat of yak rearing, but most of it is processed into various traditional products like chhurpi (wet soft cheese), churkam (hard cheese) and Mar (butter), and a small portion of raw milk in the form of butter tea for their own consumption with a little to sale, Dr Sarkar said.