USA feeds their cattle with leftover fat of slaughter house
Shankar Chaudhary, Chairman of Banas Dairy – Asia’s largest dairy cooperative – stated during the 57th Annual General Meeting that the USA had been pressuring India for years to import milk and food grains. He highlighted that in the USA, cattle are fed leftover fat from slaughterhouses, which is mixed with fodder to increase calcium and fat content — a practice he deemed inappropriate for cattle
Chaudhary also stated that the USA has vast farmlands, making fodder easily available at a low cost. As a result, feeding cattle is not a challenge there. He added that American cattle produce up to 50 litres of milk per day, allowing them to sell milk at a comparatively lower price of ₹15–20 per litre. This pricing advantage, he said, is one of the reasons the USA has been pressuring India for years to import milk.
In contrast, Chaudhary explained that farmers in Gujarat feed their cattle with crop residue and mix it with naturally available sources of calcium. Chaudhary, who is also the Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly and MLA from Tharad in Banaskantha district, emphasized the traditional and sustainable practices followed by Indian farmers
Largest milk powder plant in Gujarat
While addressing the AGM, Chairman Shankar Chaudhary also announced several new projects, including the establishment of India’s largest milk powder plant with a capacity of 150 TPD (tonnes per day). He mentioned that Banas Dairy collects nearly 1 crore litres of milk per day during the flush season. However, due to limited demand, not all of the milk can be sold, and much of it must be converted into milk powder. Currently, the dairy relies on private facilities for this conversion, which proves costly. To address this, Banas Dairy is setting up its own plant in Sandar, Banaskantha.
In addition, a new milk processing plant with a capacity of 10 lakh litres per day is planned for Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. Banas Dairy, which reported a revenue of ₹21,295 crore in the financial year 2024–25, also announced an increase in the milk procurement price by ₹19 — from ₹989 to ₹1,008 per kilogram of fat
