DefinePK

Abstract

In Pakistan, there is acute shortage of trained milk men (milk operators). Some of the progressive and large dairy farmers have installed mechanical milking systems for milking their cows but these are based on old and imported technologies. No indigenous mechanical milking system is available in the country. There was a need to develop indigenous mechanical milking systems for milking water buffaloes and cows. Agricultural and Biological Engineering Institute (ABEI), Islamabad initiated the development of milking machine for water buffaloes and cows. An agreement was signed with a collaborative manufacturer M/s Al-Madina Engineering and Dairy Equipment, Okara for manufacturing of this machine. ABEI engineers provided technical assistance during manufacturing and testing of the machine. The design parameters of the machine were prepared. The first prototype unit could not be succeeded. The second prototype unit worked well and gave encouraging results. The machine was tested on water buffaloes and cows at a dairy farm in Okara. The vacuum level (pressure) 46-48 kPa gave maximum average milk yield 0.807 liters/minute for single cluster. For an average size teat of buffalo, a 25 mm dia. liner size worked well. The cost calculated for machine and manual milking of buffaloes was Rs. 0.50 per liter and Rs. 0.20 per liter, respectively. The machine milking seemed to be more expensive compared with hand milking as the initial cost of the machine was too high i.e., around Rs. 120,000.00. The machine was demonstrated at the Livestock Research Station, NARC, Islamabad to the local dairy farmers and other end users.