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Dear
Pandit ji,
Why is milk adulteration so widespread in
India? Is it because milk is so expensive? What are the ways by
which milk gets adulterated?
Mary
Via e-mail
Dear Mary ji,
India is the largest milk producer in the world. But the majority of
the people who produce milk in India are extremely poor and their
economy is virtually collapsing. They adulterate milk to falsely
increase the quantity of their production and thus, their profit.
But, the real “culprits” are the middlemen between these producers
and the retailers, and often the retailers themselves. And yes, high
price acts as an incentive to adulterate milk and increase profit.
Milk is normally adulterated by adding water and removing the fat.
Sometimes extraneous substances like soybean milk, groundnut milk,
and wheat flour are mixed. Cases of oxytoxin and urea adulteration
have also been recorded! Selling diluted buffalo milk, as cow milk
is common in rural areas. Wheat flour and semolina are often added
to milk powder.
Dear Pandit ji,
I live in northern Karnataka. We have
developed a beautiful garden, but some cattle get into our compound
and graze flowering plants. Can you name some flower plants which
cattle don't eat?
Kautilya A V
Via e-mail
Dear Kautilya ji,
Cattle eat any plant when they are hungry. But, they generally
abstain from plants with a strong scent or aroma, and from plants
that are poisonous to them.
But, you can simply build a fence around your garden to prevent
cattle from entering into it. A better option is to use wire or
livestock fencing. Livestock fencing is like a net of wire laid on
the ground in the areas that you want to protect. When an animal
steps on the wire, it backs up. Wire fencing can be purchased at
feed stores, hardware stores, and garden shops. You may save and
reuse previously used wire fencing as well.
You may also use repellents that work by way of sight, sound, taste,
smell or touch. Scarecrow is a type of repellent. Moving objects,
such as foil pans on strings fluttering from fences or poles, may
frighten animals. Chimes, bells or a small air horn may briefly
deter a forager. Motion detector combined with flashing lights or a
moving water sprinkler can also be used.
For homemade repellents, mix eggs with water and spray non-food
plants, shrubs or trees you wish to protect. Hang garlic, hair or
bars of soap in mesh bags from individual plants. Spray garlic puree
on plants to keep away almost any herbivore.
Dear Pandit ji,
I would like to know some additional things
about vermicomposting using food wastage. Our school has about 700
boarders and we have a waste of about 200 kg daily.
AC Kurian
Wynberg Allen School
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