Nagaland launches milk fortified with vitamin A, D

Our Correspondent

Kohima, Sep. 17 (EMN): The Nagaland State Dairy Cooperative Federation Ltd. launched the first fortified milk with Vitamin A and D in the state at Hotel Japfü in Kohima on Tuesday.

R Khing, Advisor to Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, Women Resources Development, said that milk has always been a “needful item for humankind”.

According to him, rice, meat of different animals and vegetables were the only food for the Nagas in the past since milk was not familiar to them and considered it as food for the babies only. “We lived a rough life and lack the civic life,” he said.

However, with the passage of time, the nutritious food has become a well-known food item to the Nagas as they have become more health-conscious, Khing maintained.

He expressed excitement at launching the milk, which has been added with vitamin A and D.

The advisor acknowledged the members of the National Diary Development Board (NDDB) and Tata Trusts, India for their help and logistic support in introducing  the milk, which not only contains protein but both vitamin A and D that helps in preventing blindness, and weakness in bones.

He further stated that the consumption of milk makes people immune to different diseases.

Khing made an earnest appeal to NDDB and Tata Trusts to help the state in covering the rest of the remaining districts with the programmes and schemes as Kohima, Dimapur and Mokokchung are the only three districts in the state that are availing the milk at present.  He also asked them to support Nagaland in exporting this milk to the neighbouring states in the near future.

The advisor assured the two organisations that the department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, Nagaland would avail all the monetary, technical support and other resources being sent to the state and deliver its best to the people of the state.

He further hoped that the concept of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department with Diary Cooperative Federation would have a beneficial outcome.

R Ramakhrishnan, Principal Secretary of the department of Health and Family Welfare, also thanked NDDB and Tata Trusts, and stressed on the importance of food fortification to good food items, which is essential, and a must for people’s well-being and healthy ways of life.

Alan Gonmei, from the department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, said that milk fortification has come a long way; and informed that the milk fortification project is being implemented nationwide by NDDB with support from Tata Trusts in collaboration with India Nutrition Initiative (TINI).

He stated that the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) and Food Fortification Resource Centre (FFRG) regulate the standard and implementation of milk fortification in India.

Currently, the total production of raw milk stands at 1,14,684 litres per day in the state. Kohima produces about 50,750 litres per day while Dimapur and Mokokchung produce 45,977and 17,957 litres per day respectively.

Out of a total of 6,000 litres per day, 1200 litres (Kohima), 4500 litres (Dimapur) and 300 litres (Mokokchung) are procured by the dairy processing plants. The processed milk after toning is 6,720 litres per day with Dimul procurring 5040 litres and MILCON (Kohima and Mokokchung) with 1680 litres. Lassi, dahi, paneer, ghee, ice-cream and peda are sold locally and in the neighbouring districts of Assam, it was informed.

Around 95,000 litres per day of raw milk is directly sold to consumers.

The launching of fortified milk, and making it available in the market, could help convince the consumers to opt for fortified milk than raw milk.

Gadha Raj N and Sabyasachi Roy from NDDB and Vivek Arora and Nikita Goel from Tata Trusts, India attended the launch.