How Modern Dairy Industry Works?

A farmer is an integral part of a dairy industry, irrespective of any country he belongs to. The
dairy industry forms a major source of livelihood for about quarter of the population across the
world. And that leads us to make a note of the fact, how huge the dairy industry would be that
it is able to feed 7.5 billion people around the world. India being the largest milk producer in
the world alone contributes to nearly 13% of the total milk production. Indias annual milk
production in the financial year 2015-16 was estimated to be 155.5 MT as compared to 146.3
MT in the year 2014-15 recording a growth of 6.3% approximately. With the constant increase
in consumer demand for milk, and to serve the populace, it is necessary for the Indian Dairy
Industry to match the pace with adequate supply of milk. To support this, new and advanced
dairy technologies are exploited in dairy projects instated at various levels of dairy farm
management.
The Dairy Supply Chain or Cow-To-Consumer process as it is generally called is a model for milk
procurement and production of assorted products made out of milk like cheese, butter, yogurt,
ghee, ice-cream, etc.
Let's analyze the dairy production procedure and find out the stages dairy milk goes through
until it finally reaches us.
The dairy farming process begins by milking the cattle. A farmer manages a small dairy farm
where milking is carried out. Milking is a crucial activity forming the maiden point of milk
business chain contributing to the overall milk production. The farmer extracts milk from milch
animals, traditionally cows and buffaloes either manually using his hands or mechanically
through a dairy farm equipment called milking machine. He milks the cattle two times a day,
the first shift takes place in the morning and the latter one in evening. The milk produced
during the day is collected into large cans and taken by the farmer to a nearby Village Dairy
Cooperative Society (VDCS) for milk testing and analysis.
VDCS comprises of milk collection centers that operate at the village level. A center constitutes
a panel of villagers that head and operate it and members comprise of farmers who deposit
their milk to VDCS. A member who operates the milk collection center takes a sample of milk
brought by the farmer and tests it by means of a dairy milk collection software generally a milk
analyzer. The tests are carried out in order to evaluate the quality of milk based on essential
parameters like fat content in milk, the amount of Solid Not Fat (SNF) present, the density of
milk, and check for any milk adulteration (determined by the proportion of water residues
present in milk). SNF consists of proteins (casein and lactalbumin), carbohydrates (lactose)
and minerals (calcium and phosphorus) that altogether maintain the required texture of milk.
All the resulting values are noted down corresponding to the respective parameters. A final
amount of payment is calculated on the premise of the values obtained which is subsequently
paid to the farmer. The members collectively look after the milk society, thereby maintaining
transparency and trust. All the milk that is accumulated by VDCS is stored in milk collector,

commonly known as Bulk Milk Cooler (BMC).

BMC is a large storage tank that holds milk at a cold temperature until picked by milk tanker
vans. These tanks are available in varying capacities of 2, 5, and 10 tons. BMC is deployed at all
VDCS in order to preserve the quality of milk, eliminating curdling and adulteration, and spillage
of milk. A monitoring system is attached to the BMC that logs and tracks milk quantity, along
with a compressor that maintains the temperature of milk inside the tank. Also, an agitator is
implanted within the tank which keeps rotating to avoid icing of milk. Power supply through a
generator or direct line is also monitored by this system. In addition to this, a BMC helps in
cutting down the transportation costs as chilling of milk at primary dairy can be avoided,
resulting in better returns to the farmers.
Thus, the milk collected at VDCS is supplied to the milk industry for further milk processing and
also to export markets. The transportation of milk is done by refrigerated or insulated milk
tanker vans. The milk contained in the BMC tanks is emptied into these tankers and transported
to the milk industry. These tankers primarily maintain a suitable temperature for milk to avoid
souring while amidst being carried to milk industry. Once the haulers arrive at the dairy
industry, they drop the milk in the factory and take on other routes to collect more milk.
At the dairy plant, the collected milk is processed to produce various products. But before
processing, it is tested again to check if the milk quality qualifies the required standard. If it
does, milk is sent for further processing otherwise discarded at the initial stage itself. Here,
some part of milk is pasteurized and packed in appropriate packaging, generally called milk
pouches. These pouches are distributed to all the places within 24 hours. It is termed as liquid
milk and supposed to be consumed within the same time frame. While in some pouches,
required preservatives are added to increase the shelf life of milk and retain its quality at the
same time. This milk is delivered to those places which are located far away from the milk
industry and it takes comparatively longer time reach there.
The remaining part of milk undergoes various necessary procedures to derive other dairy
products like cheese, cream, butter, powdered and condensed milk, yogurt, ice-creams,
chocolates, and much more. Each product that is derived from milk follows a unique process.
Later, the pasteurized milk and other milk products are packed in sterilized and durable
packaging. Sufficient precautionary measures are taken while packing the products to retain the
quality and make them long-lasting. Lastly, these products are marketed and distributed to
various retailers and wholesalers who later sell them to consumers.
This is the entire course of how milk that is produced in small dairy farms reaches us in diverse