Today, cheese is one of the fastest-growing foreign milk recipes in Asian region, particularly in India. The current problems and future prospects of the Asian and Indian cheese market were recently discussed in a full-day national seminar titled, 'Cheese - Future milk product of India'.
The Indian Dairy Association (Western Zone), in association with Koelnmesse YA Tradefair Pvt Ltd, has organised this conclave - parallel to the seventh International FoodTec 2012 exhibition here. The conclave registered over fifty national and international specialists from dairy sector.
The seminar started with remembering the late Verghese Kurien, father of the White Revolution in India.
Speaking on 'Cheese History and Different Types of Cheese around the World', S S Gokulakrishnan, manager, QA, Amul, said that India did not manufacture all kinds of cheese although organised retailing is helping to bring globally renowned cheese types in the Indian market.
Cheese is an ancient milk food has no convincing evidence indicating where cheese-making originated, either in Europe, Central Asia or the Middle-East. However it reached the world via European markets.
"Roquefort, cheddar (the UK), Ricotta (Italy), Gouda (Netherlands), Emmental (Switzerland), Cottage Cheese and Monterey Jack (the US), Mozzarella (which has been widely used in pizza making) and others are the most popular types of cheese," Gokulakrishnan said.
Further, he discussed latest technologies for cheese manufacturing across the world. "Till date, huge numbers of cheese making units prefer manual supervision or semi-automation. For instance, if dairy unit is processing 10 lakh litres with 100 employees than it may have over 50 employees supervising the cheese making procedure thanks to its sensitivity," Gokulakrishnan noted.
Shiva Mudgil, senior manager, food & agribusiness research and advisory, Rabo Indian Finance Ltd, spoke on 'Cheese - Global Trends and Future Outlook'.
"The Indian dairy was and will be the world's largest milk producing nation. Today, it offers phenomenal opportunities at procurement level. By 2020 it has been estimated to cross 200 million tonnes milk production. This country is on the verge of becoming the world's largest milk consumer also," Mudgil said.
As per the current stats, India, the US and EU produces 50 per cent of the global milk. India's annual milk production is around 110 to 125 million tonnes. China is one of the fastest developing countries but it has only 1/3rd of what India produces. Currently, China imports around 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes of milk annually.
"Cheese is a costlier product but with constant R&D and innovations we hope it will be served to commoners' plate soon. Due to international economic crisis and inflation, we expect price rise in dairy products in Q4 (2012) and Q3 (2012)," Mudgil added.
The European Union (EU) is largest exporter of milk and it will play a crucial role in coming years.
"Though India is the world's largest dairy player with a market size of over $55 billion, it has a smaller organised sector. The market share of the organised sector in the Indian dairy industry is only $12 billion. Of this, about two-thirds is contributed by packed raw milk sales. Further, India's major concern is producing good quality of milk, quantity alone never helps. Another worrying issue is our inability to do quality value addition," Mudgil told FnB News at the sidelines of the seminar.
Cheese and India
At present, the Indian cheese market is small compared to other developed or developing countries. An average we process only 20,000-25, 000 tonnes of milk into cheese, accounting for a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25 per cent.
The current market drivers are rise in the number of quick service restaurants (QSR) and organised retail outlets, young generation's mounting affection towards cheese.
As per market gurus, mozzarella & slice cheeses will drive the Indian cheese market. "The success mantras are good quality milk, appropriate cold chains, brand equity, use of by-products like whey, and brand positioning," Mudgil said.
Cheese and the world
The global market is growing at a CAGR of only 1.5 per cent CAGR. This dismal growth rate will be there for next 5-6 years thanks to international financial downturn.
Captain H S Oberoi, president, Parag Milk Foods Pvt Ltd, said, "The milk constituents fat, lactose, casein and calcium. The Indian milk plants processes milk at least 5-7 days after procurement. It becomes very essential for us to maintain adequate hygiene at procurement, transportation and at pre-processing levels."
Oberoi talked on important quality aspects in cheese making like fermentation, warming milk at 50-60 degree Celsius, pasteurisation at around 72 degree Celsius, ultra-filtration and micro-filtration.
The event was sponsored by Gowardhan and Gokul Hatsun.
Ashish Powari, market development manager, and Hariprasad Manavalan, head, dairy and agri sector, Sealed Air discussed risks involved in supply chain and extending shelf life of dairy products, in particular cheese.
