Is donkey milk being sold at Rs 7,000 per liter in India?

 

If someone is called a donkey, it means that he is being considered a fool. Similarly, people who are always busy with work are said to be 'the person who works like donkeys.' In Pakistan and India, donkeys are commonly used to carry loads. However, the use of donkeys has declined significantly in the last few years since the introduction of motorized engines.

But now there is some information about donkeys that people are interested in repopulating their population. The Times of India published a report on September 8 stating that the National Research Center on Equations (NRCE), a subsidiary of the Indian Agricultural Research Council in the state of Haryana According to the newspaper, donkeys of Hillary breed will be kept in it and their milk will be extracted.

In addition, various media outlets such as ABP News, New India Times, National Herald have claimed that the milk obtained from these donkeys can be sold for up to Rs 7,000 per liter. The reports say a lot about the benefits of donkey's milk.

Let's find out in this fact check report what are the benefits of donkey milk and how can it cost up to Rs 7,000 per liter? The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in its research It is said that the milk of many animals is considered to be of low quality, including cow's and horse's milk. Donkey and horse milk contain proteins that are also useful for people who are allergic to cow's milk, the organization said.

According to the FAO, this milk is similar to human milk, which is low in protein and fat but contains lactose. It further states that this milk bursts quickly but cheese cannot be made from this milk. The FAO also says it could be used in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries because it has cell-enhancing and immune-boosting properties. Queen Cleopatra, the ruler of ancient Egypt, is said to have bathed in donkey's milk to maintain her beauty.

Former NRCE director Dr Mukti Basu says there are two major benefits to donkey milk. The first is that this milk is as healthy as women's milk, and the second is that it contains compounds that nourish the skin and improve their health as well as keep them soft and supple. Dr. Basu says there is still a lot of research to be done on donkey's milk in India because people are not aware of its benefits while people in Europe know a lot about it. Pasteurized milk is being used for newborns there and now the United States has also allowed its use. Dr. Basu says that less products are being made in India from donkey milk but when the demand for it increases, there may be difficulties as the number of donkeys in India is constantly declining.

The NRCE is bringing Hillary donkeys from Gujarat to get milk.

This is the first time that such work has been done on donkey breeding in India, says Professor DN Ranke of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Anand Agricultural University, Gujarat.

He says, "In India, the Sapti breed of donkeys was recognized. Hillary donkeys found in Jamnagar and Dwarka in Gujarat have now been identified. This donkey is slightly taller than normal donkeys and smaller than horses. The breed of donkeys roaming the streets of India has not yet been determined, but we have now identified two breeds, which is a welcome development, ”said Professor Rinke. Gives half a liter of milk and if the donkey is not taken care of, it will be even less. The business of donkey milk in Europe and America has been going on for a long time but in India it is just beginning and this milk is expensive, but not so much that it can be sold for up to Rs 7,000 per liter. At the same time, Dr. Basu says that this is just the beginning and only a few people in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat have started keeping donkeys on the farm. Saleem Abdul Latif Dadan runs a website from Mumbai called Very Rare Online.com which sells camel, sheep, cow and donkey milk as well as ghee and milk powder online. "The price of donkey's milk is not fixed and we do not get it from any farm," he said. We get this milk from the people of our village. The purpose of those who buy it is to use it for making medicines and cosmetics. ”Saleem says that if you send it somewhere far away, it can cost up to Rs. 7,000 per liter because it is quicker. Gets worse "If you are in Mumbai, you can get this milk at Rs 5,000 per liter," he said.After doing her MA from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Pooja Cole of Delhi decided that she wanted to do something better for the people working on donkeys.

He then gathered laborers and farmers who had donkeys in the Kolhapur area of ​​Maharashtra state. They devised a model to sell donkey milk to the general public but failed at first. But he did not give up and, along with some of his colleagues, started a startup called Organic, which manufactures and sells skin care products made from donkey milk.

"We started in Delhi in 2018," says Pooja. We identified laborers in and around Ghaziabad who raised donkeys. He used to earn Rs 300 a day through them but we persuaded him to sell milk.

"Initially, the women of his house objected," she says. She thought we were practicing magic and her donkey would die but then she started giving milk. ”Pooja says she buys milk at Rs. 2,000 to 3,000 per liter. He said that at present Rs 7,000 per liter of milk is not being sold anywhere as it is not obtained from any farm. Donkey milk soap and skin growth products are available in a large number of online stores such as Amazon and Flipkart.

Pooja herself says that 100 grams of her soap sells for Rs. 500.

But while the price of donkey milk in India is more than Rs 1,000 per liter, the number of donkeys in the country has come down to just one lakh.

According to the 2012 census of animals in India, the number of donkeys in the country was more than 300,000, according to the statistics of 2019, their number has decreased by 61% and now there are only 120,000 donkeys in the country. Are

If the demand for donkey milk increases in case of declining number of donkeys, then its price may also go up but at present our fact check investigation has found that the price of donkey milk is Rs. 7,000. Has not reached per liter.