Not afraid of A2 milk storm, Vachan milk upbeat on Holstein
At a time when the market is being flooded with brands of milk claiming to be that of the indigenous cow, there is one company which is banking on its herd of the Holstein Friesian cattle.
The Indian cow milk, also dubbed as the A2 type, is being sold in premium segment these days priced as much as Rs80 to over Rs100 a litre. Raipur’s Sarda Dairy and Food Products Limited (SDFPL), which markets Vachan brand of milk and by-products, is planning to enter the same niche segment with milk of the Holstein cow.
SDFPL brand ‘Farm Classic’ is expected to be launched in Nagpur soon and would target the niche consumer. The packet would have a picture of the white and black Holstein cow signifying the breed.
A number of A2 milk vendors also put the picture of Gir cow, an indigenous breed, on the packets. Lately, a dairy unit in Nagpur launched a brand of desi cow milk with picture of Gir cow, although not claiming it to be A2. Desi cow milk has become a latest trend in the market.
There are groups advocating consumption of the A2 milk claiming to have health benefits as against A1 milk which is said to be of foreign breeds. This has led to focus on the Gir cow with groups pushing it as an alternative to other breeds like Holstein or Jersey. However, it as also been clarified that A1 milk has no harm.
SDFPL is arguably the only organized dairy player in the region having its owns livestock. Pankaj Sarda, the joint managing director SDFPL, said that he is confident of the brand and expects that it would generate a good response in the Nagpur market.
There are plans to start with 10,000 litres of milk for the Nagpur market. Sarda said, “Our USP is the scientific method of dairy farming. The entire process from milking to packaging is untouched by human hand.” Sarda claimed that the health of the cattle is regularly checked by a team of veterinarians to ensure that even the milk is healthy.
He said rather than the breed their focus would be in quality of milk in terms of hygiene and other parameters. “Irrespective of all the theories about A1 or A2 milk, we are proud of the Holstein breed that SDFPL maintains,” said Sarda.
SDFPL maintains a livestock of 2,000 cattle head and during lean season the milk output touches up to 15,000 litre. In the flush season it is more than double. Milk is procured from farmers too. Sarda said that the cattle have been procured from breeders in South India.
Sarda said the company has also upbeat about the Nagpur market for its other products. “With Nagpur at a distance of 290 km from Raipur, fresh milk can be easily transported. The market in other centres like Bhandara, Chandrapur, Amravati and Gondia can also be tapped,” he said.