With significant benefits for humans, donkey milk is struggling to find a place in the market due to  poor  awareness, steep pricing, and lack of government support

Donkey milk has been around for thousands of years, but it has made a major comeback recently for its exceptional nutritional qualities and health benefits. Donkey milk tastes equivalent to mother milk and has no smell. Widely believed to be low in fat, donkey milk is said to have medicinal and ayurvedic advantages and improves immunity in children. The milk is also considered good for cardiovascular and heart patients.

Donkey milk is believed to rejuvenate skin and eliminate wrinkles from the face. With numerous advantages, it has some downsides too, viz., donkey milk has a high lactose content of about 5%, hence, it may not be ideal for adults with lactose intolerance or gastric problems. There have been reports of allergies and health issues. The lack of government certifications is driving people out of this business.

Donkey milk is trading at a very high price — like half a litre of milk in retail priced at Rs. 1000, i.e., 40 times the cost of a 500 ml pouch of cow milk, which is why people are apprehensive about buying donkey milk.

Still, many suppliers are dealing in this rare donkey milk and are also marketing donkey milk powder at different prices, from Rs 3,000 to Rs 7,000 per litre in Karnataka.

Vidya Ramachandra, Director of ‘Taakshvi Agri Products’ had initiated the unique idea of selling donkey milk, milk powder, and other milk products three months ago in the local market. At Rs. 4,000 per litre and Rs 30,000 for half a kilo of milk powder, it sure is very stiff. She started her donkey milk business after obtaining eight donkeys with two baby donkeys from her father-in-law’s friend, Vidya today has 16 donkeys at their farm in Kolar and provides donkey milk in South Bengaluru and Bellary in Karnataka.

In a candid interview with me,  Vidya said, “We sell 250ml, 500ml, 1 and 2 ltr.—bottles of donkey milk. After milking, the milk bottles are frozen under -2 to -5 degrees Celsius. The bottles are delivered in thermocol boxes filled with ice. She said that milk powder is obtained by a process called freeze-drying. The milk powder gets packed in plastic packets of four sizes up to 5 kg.  Milk can be refrigerated for three months with a 1 to 1.5 years shelf life.”

A techie who once owned another dairy Swastha in Bengaluru, Dimple Jallipalli told me  “We had around 40 donkeys including 20 adult donkeys and the rest were foals. After successfully delivering donkey milk for almost a year, owing to a lack of government certification we have closed the venture now.”

She said that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) hasn’t certified donkey milk for human consumption as there is no evident research conducted so far. And, hence, from the seller’s perspective, the market isn’t so hopeful, people aren’t aware, and without government certification, there is a big question mark regarding donkey milk for human consumption, Dimple added.

Talking about the minuses of this profession, Vidya disappointedly told me, “Donkey maintenance, shed costs, and medical expenses are very high. Per cost donkeys range from 60k to 1 and 1.5 lakhs depending on the breed. In a month average of 8 litres or bulk, the milk sales remain at merely 10 litres. In a day a donkey gives 600ml to 1 ltr. whereas cows give 12-15 litres of milk daily. 18-20 litres of donkey milk make a kilo of milk powder, which costs Rs. 18k. The government support or subsidies are also not there,” she added.

In such a scenario, without endorsement from FSSAI and with high pricing but a lot of advantages, will donkey milk make a viable place in contrast to cow, buffalo, goat, or any other alternative animal milk in the market?

Only time will tell.