{"id":52667,"date":"2026-04-27T03:01:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T03:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailydigitalposts.com\/?p=52667"},"modified":"2026-04-27T03:01:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T03:01:55","slug":"islamabad-digital-post-milk-situation-in-pakistan-problems-and-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailydigitalposts.com\/?p=52667","title":{"rendered":"Islamabad (Digital Post): Milk situation in Pakistan \u2013 problems and solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Islamabad (Digital Post): Milk is considered a complete and natural food essential for human health. It contains proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals in significant quantities, all of which are vital for growth and well-being. This is why an infant can survive solely on milk in the early months of life. Milk not only strengthens bones but also plays an important role in boosting immunity, brain development, and physical energy. For children, adults, and the elderly alike, milk is a fundamental part of daily nutrition. According to nutrition experts, milk is the only food capable of fulfilling multiple basic dietary requirements at once, which is why it is called a \u201ccomplete food.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Despite its numerous benefits, serious issues related to milk are rapidly increasing in society. Various research studies conducted in Pakistan<\/span><\/span> indicate that a large portion of milk sold in markets is adulterated, posing serious health risks. Experts report that more than 18 adulterants are commonly added to milk, including water, starch, urea, formalin, powdered milk, and hydrogen peroxide\u2014many of which are hazardous chemicals. This raises an important question: is milk adulteration due to a shortage in production, or simply dishonesty and profiteering? Statistics show that Pakistan ranks fourth in the world in milk production, producing over 66 million tons annually, which appears sufficient for domestic needs. However, there is still a seasonal shortage, particularly from July to December, with a severe gap between August and November.<\/p>\n

The main reasons for this shortage include extreme heat leading to fodder scarcity, the availability of fresh fodder crops like berseem only in November\u2013December, seasonal calving patterns, and increased consumption of milk and yogurt during these months. When demand rises and supply decreases, it creates opportunities for adulteration mafias, especially during these periods. Water adulteration is the most common, and it occurs not only at the supplier level but sometimes even at retail points. Alarmingly, this trend is also seen at the household level, where people dilute milk to meet family needs, further lowering overall quality.<\/p>\n

Milk production in Pakistan largely depends on small dairy farmers, while large modern dairy farms are limited. These small farmers produce milk daily, which is collected by middlemen\u2014commonly known as milkmen or \u201cgawalas\u201d\u2014from various villages and transported to cities. Around 97% of milk in Pakistan is sold loose, while only 3% reaches consumers in processed or packaged form. According to regulations by the Punjab Food Authority<\/span><\/span>, the sale of loose milk has been restricted since July 2022 and pasteurization made mandatory. However, in practice, enforcement remains weak.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, this important initiative has been unnecessarily politicized and linked to corporate interests, whereas the real need was to establish small-scale pasteurization units in both urban and rural areas to ensure traceability. The existing \u201cgawala system\u201d makes it extremely difficult to maintain milk purity year-round, especially in extreme heat. Milk is collected in small quantities from multiple farms, often including leftover milk from previous nights. This collection process alone can take 2\u20134 hours, followed by transportation over 50\u2013100 kilometers\u2014often on motorcycles\u2014and then distribution to households, which takes several more hours.<\/p>\n

In hot weather, milk can spoil within an hour without proper temperature control, and adding ice is not a permanent solution. Due to these constraints, adulteration is sometimes used to preserve milk. This flawed system highlights the urgent need for a proper cold supply chain and strict implementation of pasteurization laws. However, it must also be acknowledged that not all milk sellers engage in adulteration, especially those supplying from nearby areas. Still, as cities expand, the problem becomes more severe.<\/p>\n

Milk is a highly perishable food. Foods are generally categorized into highly perishable (like milk), semi-perishable (like tomatoes and onions), and non-perishable (like wheat and rice). In Pakistan, months like January to March see excess milk production and relatively low demand, leading to wastage. Large dairy companies take advantage of this by purchasing milk at low prices and converting it into powdered milk, which is later used during shortage periods.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, this practice is legally permitted for large companies, while smaller businesses and local vendors are restricted. In many countries, powdered milk is widely used to produce dairy products, but strict regulations exist in Pakistan. One major reason is the prevalence of low-quality powdered milk in local markets, often made with vegetable fats and non-milk solids and smuggled through Iran. This substandard product fails to meet international standards, while high-quality imported milk powder is too expensive for average consumers.<\/p>\n

As a result, during shortage months (July to November), the use of this low-quality powder increases. If surplus milk from high-production months were preserved through proper drying or conversion into products like khoya, shortages could be managed effectively. However, this requires modern and costly infrastructure, making government support essential to prevent wastage and ensure future supply stability.<\/p>\n

\"\"Currently, the official milk price in Multan is set at PKR 170 per kilogram, while in rural areas about 100 kilometers away, milk is still available at PKR 140\u2013150 per kilogram. Under such conditions, supplying milk to urban consumers at PKR 170 becomes practically impossible. In reality, milk is sold in shops at PKR 160\u2013170, often below actual cost. This unrealistic pricing discourages honest sellers who wish to provide pure milk.<\/p>\n

A similar issue exists with dairy products like khoya. Large sweet shops purchase khoya at around PKR 750 per kilogram, while the actual production cost of pure khoya at factory level exceeds PKR 900, making it impossible to sell below PKR 1100. Consumers also prefer buffalo milk, which is sold at around PKR 200 per kilogram near Multan. However, after accounting for transportation, labor, electricity, and packaging, the retail price should be at least PKR 270\u2014something the market currently does not accept.<\/p>\n

The root problem is that society is unwilling to pay the true cost of food, including milk. This leads to unethical practices like adulteration. If consumers genuinely want quality products, they must accept that quality comes at a price.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, milk is undoubtedly a complete food and its daily consumption is essential, especially for children. However, purity and quality are even more important than consumption itself. Instead of chasing low prices, consumers should prioritize pure and high-quality milk, even if it costs more. At the government level, prices should reflect real costs, and honest suppliers should be encouraged.<\/p>\n

\"\"At the household level, consumers can test milk quality using tools like lactometers and thermometers, as the LR value is a key indicator of quality. Making yogurt from milk can also help assess its quality, while laboratory testing through the Punjab Food Authority<\/span><\/span> is also possible. Since milk is mostly consumed by children and the elderly\u2014both with weaker immune systems\u2014its purity is not just a personal concern but a matter of public health that should never be compromised.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Islamabad (Digital Post): Milk is considered a complete and natural food essential for human health. It contains proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals in significant quantities, all of which are vital for growth and well-being. This is why an infant can survive solely on milk in the early months of life. Milk not only strengthens […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":52665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-islamabad","category-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailydigitalposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailydigitalposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailydigitalposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailydigitalposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailydigitalposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=52667"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailydigitalposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52668,"href":"https:\/\/dailydigitalposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52667\/revisions\/52668"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailydigitalposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/52665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailydigitalposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailydigitalposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailydigitalposts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}