Souradip Mallick, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela
World Milk Day is commemorated on 1st June each year. The day is celebrated to bring attention to activities that are related to the dairy sector and actively promote the benefits of consuming milk and dairy products around the world. The main objective to celebrate World Milk Day is to spread awareness about the need and importance of milk in a human being’s life and to educate people about the nutrients that are present in milk like calcium, protein, vitamin B2, potassium, etc. Also, the contributions of several industries are acknowledged in fulfilling the large-scale requirements of milk and dairy products. World Milk Day was introduced on 1st June in the year 2001, by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations to recognize the importance of milk as a global food.
This theme for World Milk Day 2021 is, “Sustainability in the dairy sector” which aims at empowering the environmental, nutritional, and socio-economical status of dairy products and industry.
Nutritional value of milk
Milk is an important part of a healthy, balanced diet for all. Milk is a nutrient-rich fluid having various health benefits. It contains a huge amount of vitamins and minerals. It is a rich source of protein, with just one cup containing approximately 8 grams of protein. Protein is vital for growth and development, cellular repair, and immune system regulation. Milk also makes bones strong and healthy, because it contains a large number of nutrients, including calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. Dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, paneer, butter, tofu, whipped cream, etc. are of great importance and form a huge part of the vegetarian diet. Milk can also be used as an ingredient for making varieties of other food items like smoothies, oatmeal, coffee, soups, and whatnot.
Where does India stand in global dairy production?
India witnessed a huge surge in its milk production after the White Revolution in 1970. The man behind this voluptuous program was Dr. Verghese Kurien whose idea of “Operation Flood” caused this dynamic progress in the dairy sector. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was formed in 1970 to give a boost to dairy production by incorporating cooperative societies in the production and marketing process. Presently, India is the largest producer of milk in the world with a contribution of approximately 22% of the entire global milk production. It accounts for more than 150 million tons of production and per capita accessibility of more than 300 grams per day. In all, it can be said that India is the centre of the global dairy industry.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no major events are expected to be organized by the committee. However, the Global Dairy Platform has organized several campaigns between 29th May and 31st May under the name of ‘Enjoy Dairy Rally’. All of us can celebrate the day by donating milk packets to people who are in need and are unable to get access to these amenities, which are as basic as procuring milk.
Also read: Organoid Technology helps to beat COVID-19
References:
- World Milk Day – https://worldmilkday.org/
- Mishra V.P. (2019). White Revolution and its Impact in India. International Journal of Engineering Science and Computing. 9 (6) https://ijesc.org/upload/656a291b5dd762b01885b03d11655aad.White%20Revolution%20and%20its%20Impact%20in%20India.pdf
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