Introduction to Nepal and Nepal's Dairy Industry
Nepal is a small landlocked country located between the high Himalaya and Indian plains with a population of 28 million (The World Bank, 2013). Nepal is a land full of snow peaks, Sherpas, yaks and yetis, and the tallest mountain, Mount Everest (GN, 2014). Hinduism is the dominant religion in Nepal (GN, 2014). In Nepal, the economy is dominated by agriculture, with approximately 68% of the population employed in agriculture (IFAD, n.d.). Nevertheless, Nepal struggles to produce enough food for the population (Bryld, 2003). Farmers do not have access to seeds or new technologies (Bryld, 2003). The crops grown in Nepal include maize, rice, sugarcane, oilseed and potatoes (GN, 2014). There are also many beef, dairy, chicken and sheep farmers (GN, 2014).
The dairy sector in Nepal involves milking 70% buffalos and 30% cows (Hayashi, 2005). The people of Nepal have a strong bond to their animals and do not believe in culling (GN, 2014). Milk is an important food source for the human population, with a high enrichment in protein and calcium (FAO, 2003). The people of Nepal do not always have access to safe drinking milk (FAO, 2003). Farmers own small dairy herds, milk cows by hand, and the foundation for milk shipment is lacking (Singh, 2002). Subsistence farmers will produce milk mainly for their family and sell the excess milk to the Milk Producing Co-operative Society (Joshi, D. D., n.d.). The farmers receive money for their milk 15 days later and the pay is based on milk quality (Joshi, D. D., n.d.). The average amount of milk that a dairy cow in Nepal will give in a day is 6.5 litres (Joshi, D. D., n.d.). The undeveloped condition of the Nepalese dairy industry leaves room for further development.
Issues with Mastitis
In Asia, the levels of mastitis have increased in sync with higher-producing breeds of cows and buffalos (FAO, 2014). The other factors that have contributed to the disease include: lack of awareness, delay in detection of abnormal milk, lack of hygiene in milking, and delayed treatment of the disease (FAO, 2014).
The largest issue within the dairy sector in Nepal is the decreased quality of milk due to debris and high bacteria content, specifically in regards to high somatic cell count caused by mastitis (Hayashi, 2005). Mastitis has a larger occurrence in breeds including Holsteins, Jerseys and Jersey crossbreds (FAO, 2014), all of which are common breeds in Nepal.
Figure 1: Prevalence of mastitis in different Asian countries, based on data from various studies and production systems (FAO, 2014)
Figure 2: Informal and Formal Flow of Raw Milk (FAO, 2010)
Poor Quality of Raw Milk
Many dairy farmers in Nepal keep their animals in poor management situations such as mucky stalls and without pre-cleaning routines (Pradhan, 2003). The raw milk is stored on the farm and transported to market without any hygienic methods, leading to poor quality milk (Pradhan, 2003). The Milk Producer Corporations will only test the milk for fat and SNF percentages (Pradhan, 2003).
