Speaker
Description
India, the world's foremost milk producer, hosts over 53 million indigenous and 27 million crossbred or exotic milk-producing cows, resulting in a yearly output of 114 million tons of milk as of 2022, with an annual growth rate of 5.3%. Since 1970, the per capita milk consumption in India has quadrupled, in part due to rising incomes and urbanization, which has spurred dietary changes. Although indigenous cows yield only a third of the daily amount of milk of crossbred cows, their sheer number significantly contributes to the country’s total milk production. This abundance of indigenous cows’ milk presents opportunities for farmers to sell and for consumers to purchase so called “Desi cow milk”, alternatively also labeled “A2 milk”. In spite of the ongoing debate surrounding the health benefits of the A2 beta-casein variant in milk, the popularity of milk exclusively derived from indigenous cattle breeds like Gir is increasing in India. Taking the case of Bengaluru, a megacity in southern India, we examined the development of milk production and sales strategies in 2020 and 2022 and explored factors that triggered changes, particularly focusing on the emergence of A2 and Desi cow milk as niche products in response to changing consumer preferences and health perceptions. Additionally, we investigated dairy farmers' perceptions of milk quality and their experience with direct sales to consumers. Between January and March, 2020, we conducted face-to-face interviews with 79 dairy farmers who reared crossbred and indigenous zebu cows (Bos indicus) in urban and peri-urban areas of Bengaluru. The second round of interviews was conducted between May and July 2022, involving 62 dairy farmers with similar farming characteristics from the same region. Information gathered in both surveys number of cows, cow breed, types of milk produced, milk marketing strategies, and dairy farmers' customers plus their own and their clients’ perception of milk quality attributes. Whereas farmers kept 57% of crossbred cattle and 43% of indigenous cattle in their herd in 2020, these proportions shifted to 64% and 36% in 2022. In 2020, only 2% of farmers sold milk produced by indigenous cows as A2 milk, while 98% of farmers sold milk produced by indigenous and crossbred cows together as regular milk. However, in 2022, the scenario changed significantly. Sixteen percent of farmers sold A2 milk, and 43% and 41% of farmers sold milk from indigenous and crossbred cows separately as Desi and regular milk, respectively. The milk price also varied between and types of milk and years: In 2020, A2 milk was sold at 80 INR per liter and regular milk sold at 35 INR. By 2022, the liter price of A2 milk, Desi cow milk, and regular milk had increased to 90 INR, 60 INR, and 40 INR. In terms of marketing strategies, 77% of the surveyed farmers sold all of their milk to dairy cooperatives in 2020, while the remaining farmers used middlemen or sold directly to consumers. By 2022, there was a noticeable shift in marketing strategies, with all A2 milk producing farmers selling directly to consumers, 69% of farmers selling Desi cow milk directly to consumers, while most producers (77%) of regular milk still sold to dairy cooperatives. The motivation behind direct marketing of A2 and Desi cow milk was driven by the consumers’ expectations for freshness, quality, and specific health properties, whereby according to the farmers a higher price for A2 milk was paid by consumers with higher education and income. These consumers perceived health benefits for their children, trusted the product would enhance their social status, followed the advice of medical professionals, and were influenced by cultural and religious beliefs. Understanding their customers’ perceptions has led to an increased supply of specialty milk in this niche market, prompting farmers to promote A2 milk on their personal websites and social media platforms. Farmers and consumers currently lack a clear understanding of A2 milk certification, relying instead on trust and word-of-mouth when selling and purchasing milk. The formal certification process for A2 milk has not yet been initiated. As a result, the direct marketing relationship between farmers and consumers is critical for farmers’ livelihoods and to providing consumers with a specific type of milk that is largely unavailable commercially.
