Nyukmadung Dairy

September 21, 2023

A high-altitude village in Arunachal Pradesh, known for a 1962 war memorial, has added a first-of-its-kind parlour for milk from a bovine animal that’s often called ‘the ship of the Himalayas’.
The village, at about 2,800 metres above sea level, now sports the Nyukmadung Dairy at the farm of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research-National Research Centre on Yak, or NRC-Y.
The yak (Poephagus grunniens) is the lifeline of highland ethnic communities living in the Himalayan and trans-Himalayan regions in conditions not favourable for any type of agrarian activities.
The animal sustains the livelihood of the highlanders by yielding milk, meat, fibre, hide, and dung apart from being used for transportation.
Yak milk is creamy white, thick, sweetish, fragrant, and richer in protein, fat, lactose, minerals, and total solids than cow milk.
In general, yak milk is considered naturally concentrated milk enriched with a higher nutrient density and loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, and antioxidants.
- It also has vitamins and minerals.