In a first, Indian dairy cooperative Amul today said it will launch camel milk in the country in next three months.
Amul will first start selling camel milk in Ahmedabad and will later launch it in other cities.
"We operationised standards for camel milk today. We took two years to come out with standards. The standards will help better marketing of camel milk in cities," Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) Chairman Pawan Agarwal said at an exhibition organised by NGOs 'Sahjeevan' and 'Foundation for Ecological Security'.
This will also help create awareness about the health benefits of camel milk, he added.
Aggarwal assured that it would take possible measures if any fine tuning is required in the standards going forward.
Speaking on the occasion, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation's (GCMMF) Marketing Manager Hardeep Banga said that the cooperatiave will launch camel milk in 500 ml bottle in the next three months.
"Now, the plant is ready in Kutch. We are going to market camel milk in the next three months. Initially, it is will be sold in Ahmedabad through Amul booths in 500 ml bottle," he said, adding that the camel milk would later be marketed in Delhi and Mumbai.
Two years back, Sahjeevan approached GCMMF for marketing of camel milk produced in Kutch area. A Rs 3 crore project was initiated and about Rs 70 lakh funding support was provided together by state and central governments, he added.
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said, "After assessing scientifically, camel milk has been recognised with the line of food grade. This will not only benefits rearers of camels but also facilitate for value-addition productions."
A beginner’s book on pastoralism 'A World Without a Roof' written by Sarita Sundar was also launched at the exhibition on pastoralists being held at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) here from December 2-18.
The 16-day multi-media exhibition will showcase the lifestyles of Indian pastoralists – their remarkable history of mobility, the fantastic eco-systems which nurture their life-world, their culture, science, art, spiritual moorings and the economics of herding.
(With inputs from PTI)
