HYDERABAD: Vice Chancellor of the Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Dr Fateh Marri has pointed out that Pakistan is one of the top milk-producing countries in the world, but it still spends more than Rs 20 billion on import of milk.

He was addressing a ceremony at which a degree was awarded to Deepesh Kumar Bhuptani, a PhD scholar of Animal Product Technologies, Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences at the university, who has completed his research on “Quantification of aflatoxin in milk and its intervening strategies”.

Dr Marri said that Pakistan is the fourth-largest producer of milk in the world, but about 80 percent of the milk is produced on small scale in rural areas of the country. A lot of milk is wasted due to a lack of cold storage facilities.

He was of the view that dairy farmers and investors should also pay attention to milk by-products.

Animal milk and its harmful effects on human health, medicines for animal diseases, and their treatment should be taken into consideration and dairy farmers and veterinarians should be consulted on the vital issues concerned.

On the occasion, Mr Bhuptani explained that giving unhealthy food to animals releases aflatoxin through milk, and the people who consume such milk are affected by the harmful effects of the poisonous material.

He said that he obtained milk samples from Karachi, Thatta, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushahro Feroze, Sukkur and Larkana. The samples were transported aseptically to the department of Animal Products Technology, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, for further analysis. Aflatoxin was found in most of the samples.

Dr Abdul Mubeen Lodhi, the university’s director for advanced studies, Dr Syed Atta Shah, Dr Saeed Soomro, Dr Gul Bahar Khaskheli, and Dr Zubair A. Leghari were among those who were present on the occasion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022