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Careers...
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If the advertisement is to be believed and it really takes one glass of milk to produce one slice of cheese, one can only imagine how many glasses of milk are needed, not only to provide the thousands of slices of cheese that are being readily gobbled up by India's yuppy children, but also for regular consumption and all the other milk derived goodies. The demand for milk is tremendous, and is growing not only in cities but also in small towns and rural areas. Dairying plays a dynamic role in India's agro-based economy. Our country's Dairy Industry is one of the fastest expanding in the world. Ten years ago only 5% of the milk produced came into the dairies. Today it is 10%, and this figure will keep increasing. Today India ranks second only to the US in terms of milk production, and it is expected that at the present rate of growth, will overtake the US by the Year 2000. According to a recent report prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture, the dairy industry has the potential to offer about 4.2 crore jobs a year. Today there are barely 50,000 - 60,000 trained professionals in this field. Given the proper thrust, dairying could in the years ahead, become one of the largest business sectors of the economy, even overtaking the industrial sector. There are over 200 dairies spread across the country providing us around 60 million tonnes of milk. But this only constitutes the organised sector, which includes the dairy co-operatives, Government run milk producing units and the private sector dairies, and not the vast unorganised sector, where the milk is delivered directly at the door, and does not go through a dairying process. Over the past 35 years, Dairy Farming has grown from this largely unorganised - if complex - activity, into a vast organised industry, that encompasses not only increased production of milk and milk products , but also the breeding of higher yielding cattle, and the scientific rearing of cattle and production of cattle feeds. This has proportionately increased the demand for trained manpower in this sector. The two main areas of activity in the Dairy Industry include - Liquid Milk Production which covers its collection,processing and distribution. This is carried out almost entirely in the public sector through cooperatives. And the Manufacture of Milk Products : like butter, cheese, ghee, condensed and evaporated milk, dried and skimmed milk, malted foods, chocolates and ice cream - where value addition ensures profitability which is largely undertaken by private companies. Most jobs in this industry fall under two broad heads - Production, where work is mainly with milk cattle and includes the most important task that of obtaining milk, as also breeding of high yielding cattle and taking care of the animals. Veterinary Scientists are usually best suited for such jobs. They are appointed as Procurement Officers and must visit villages talk to farmers and influence them to sell their milk. Dairy scientists in the area of milk production also conduct experiments to determine the effects of different kinds of feeds and environmental conditions on the quantity, quality and nutritive value of milk produced. They also research breeding, feeding and management of dairy cattle. Processing, as the term implies, covers the handling of milk for distribution ; or its conversion into dairy products. This work normally begins after the milk has reached the plant. Here milk is converted into a variety of dairy products, such as cheese, chocolates, ice cream, butter ghee and so on. Dairy Technologists deal with this aspect of the industry, and also work to develop improved methods in production preservation and utilisation of milk, and milk products. Other professionals required in this specialised area include dairy engineers, who are responsible for the setting up and maintenance of dairy plants and related activities; and marketing personnel who handle the marketing and sales of milk and milk products. Specialisation in the specific or related area, like Veterinary Science, Dairy Technology or Engineering is a pre-requisite for entry into this field.
Eligibility:
After graduating in dairying, candidates can opt for further studies and specialisation through a Master'' programme in Dairying, or related areas such as , genetics and breeding, livestock production, Animal bio-technology or in fields of food technology and preservation.
Selection:
Duration:
Some of the prominent institutions offering courses in dairy technology include -
While dairy farming can be a challenging career offering enormous prospects for trained professionals, those getting into this field must be prepared to live in remote areas, or far away from the comforts and conveniences of the city, which could place pressures on those unprepared for this sort of lifestyle. It also means long hours of very hard work. Moreover, as milk is a perishable commodity - the pressures involved in maintaining product quality standards, can be tremendous.
Openings for Dairy Technologists are available in both the public and the private sector.
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