Cleaning is a need, not just necessity
Three brothers, who were milk farmers, began their journey of milk farming way back in 1992. Devendra Shah has left no stone unturned in establishing state-of-the-art milk farms in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. “There will be no compromise in maintaining it too. As I see many cleaning equipment in the Clean India Journal magazine, I want to ensure that the right cleaning equipment is deployed at our premises too.”
While the shopfloor is equipped with CIP systems, the periphery area has been outsourced to Sumeet Facilities for housekeeping. At present scrubber-driers and vacuum cleaners are running at the premises for the upkeep of the office area and guest house. Right from the collection of the milk to the processing to the delivery of the product, the hygiene levels are maintained through constant testing. There are 12 microbiologists in all who ensure the best goes out.
“We are also in the process of expanding and will soon be providing fresh milk from the new centre coming up within the premises. This limited fresh milk packed in plastic bottles is rich and will be sold at premium prize to niche consumers.” Why plastic? “There is less chances of contamination and it is much more hygienic than any other packaging. These bottles will be collected back too. At times one has to compromise,” Devendra Shah explains. At one end plastic may not sound eco-friendly but converting waste to bio-gas for energy is a big initiative that Parag Milk Foods is working on. “Within a year the bio-gas plant will be erected and we will be generating our own power to at least feed the energy requirements of the plant. Three to four companies, including a couple from Germany, have given the plans for the bio-gas plant. We will also be making manure from cow waste.”
Innovation and implementation of modern techniques are never ending at the farm. “In keeping with the newer technology in maintenance, we are also procuring a new hydraulic system from Germany or Netherlands for clearing the waste and manure from the cowsheds. We are also looking at mechanised cleaning systems.
“Cleaning is not a necessity, it is a need. As a simple example one can consume much more home food than the hotel food even if it is much tastier. This is because home food is more hygienic and prepared in a hygienic surrounding. This goes with any food item, even milk and milk products. We strive to give the best with hygienic products.”
We must measure cleaning not by the normal day but by an emergency. I judge my team not by normal operations but by how they react to an emergency. I am very proud of the fact that the mall is now in a very good condition in spite of the heavy 800mm rain the previous day. The heavy rain fall had created havoc in the basement but we rose to the occasion. We have issues that we still need to contemplate but the housekeepers were able to deal with it very quickly; they got the required equipment on site, they got the team on site and most importantly, they mobilised the man power to come here in an emergency and responded to the situation. Whenever there is an emergency we have massive mobilization of cleaners and other teams to immediately resolve the issue.
Cowsheds usually face the problem of bad odour emitting from dung and sludge. But Edmund believes that good quality fodder not only helps keep the cows healthy and milking better but also reduces the odour from cow dung. A team of 80 workers assist Edmund in the breeding, rearing, caring and milking of the cows. These workers are trained to de-worm, vaccinate, feed, disinfect and maintain records/data about each and every calf in the farm. Training is important as it is very difficult to find people with hands on skill, says Edmund. Even the Vets, in many cases, have more of theory knowledge and are unable to provide normal husbandry techniques of even de-worming… Workers are trained in practical skills of even handling cows. “I have been teaching our workers for the last three years. Maintaining records/data of each cow, monitoring, handling situations, solving problems/issues and avoiding the same mistakes again… are all part of the learning process.”
Lack of skilled workers is an issue in this industry. The trained workers stay but “when they get married outside the area, they tend to leave”.
Milking parlour
The rotary milking parlour is where the cows line up in a circle for the mechanised milking process. The rotary at a glance looks like children playing ‘Ringa Ringa Roses’. The entire parlour is a secluded and clean area with least human intervention, except for the workers who monitor the milking process and usher the cows into the rotary.
The cows are sprayed with disinfectants for 30 seconds and checked for any kind of contamination before milking. Besides, the parlour itself is equipped with CIP systems. After every milking process, the parlour is kept scrupulously clean. The rotary is washed with hot water, treated with chemicals and rinsed with cold water again. Even the water used for drinking for the cows and the wash water used for the parlour is treated with activated carbon. The farm is equipped with an in house filtration and disinfection facility.
Mohana M
