​ByNEW DELHI: Flavoured camel milk , popular in Gulf countries as a health drink, may soon hit the shelves of grocery stores in India. An expert group set up by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India ( FSSAI ) is working on setting standards for selling camel milk as a food product for human consumption, the chairman of the authority told ET.The move will not only pave the way for marketing of a product seen as beneficial in curing lifestyle diseases, but also help revive the declining fortunes of India’s poor camel breeders who often sell their cow camels for slaughter.The department of animal husbandry, dairying & fisheries has asked FSSAI to set standards for camel milk, K Chandramouli said. "We have passed it on to the expert group on milk and milk products, and they will make their recommendation."While the Supreme Court in 2000 ruled that camel milk is fit for human consumption, the Milk and Milk Products Order still recognises milk from only cows, buffaloes, sheep, goats and mixture thereof. This thwarts efforts to market an estimated 1.5 lakh litres of camel milk that Rajasthan and Gujarat can collectively produce every day.The country’s largest dairy cooperative, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, has readied a plan to launch camel milk products and is awaiting the food regulator’s rules. Camel milk, which desert nomads have been drinking for generations, is privately sold in Udaipur and Bhilwara districts of Rajasthan at very low rates. It is also popular among foreign tourists visiting the desert towns of the state.According to studies, camel milk has three times more vitamin C and 10 times more iron than cow milk. It is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin B and is said to be almost as nutritious as human breast milk. Outside India, the milk is being marketed as a health food in the Gulf and several African countries. Last year, the EU gave approval for its import from the Emirates.RS Sodhi, managing director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which markets its products under the Amul brand, said it can start processing 5,000 litres of camel milk at its Kutch project within six months of the standards being notified."Camel milk will be sold as a health food. It will cost at least 20% more than cow’s milk," Sodhi said, adding that the product will be first launched in Ahmedabad and then in the rest of the state."We will initially source milk from camel breeders in Kutch and Bhuj, and from Rajasthan at a later stage. The project will give camel breeders better remuneration for the milk." The federation’s camel milk project has received about Rs 1 crore as aid from the Gujarat government. "If the food standards and safety agency agrees on standards for camel milk, that is an important prerequisite, but just the very first step to gradually build a market for camel dairy products," said Ilse Kohler-Rollefson, projects coordinator at the League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development."In theory, Rajasthan could produce about 1 lakh litres of camel milk per day. If we count in the Gujarat camels, it would be about 1.5 lakh litres." Kohler-Rollefson, who is heading a project to revive the fortunes of Rajasthan's camel breeders, said the Lokhit Pashu Palak Sansthan ( LPPS ), the Indian partner of the League for Pastoral Peoples, developed and tried to market a range of camel milk products — fresh milk, pasteurised milk, ice cream and curd — in Jaisalmer district, but could not bring it up to scale as it requires significant investment in technology, infrastructure and organisational development, which the project lacked."Camel milk is shown to reduce blood sugar levels in diabetes patients," Kohler-Rollefson said. India has an estimated 65 million diabetic patients, primarily because people tend to consume more sugarrich foods and drinks. Kohler-Rollefson said government help and investments are essential if sale of camels for meat and trade across borders is to be prohibited in accordance with the Rajasthan Camel Bill, 2014."The bottom line is that the camel cannot be saved unless camel breeders have a decent income. Camel dairying is the only option. However, in order to get this going, investments by private entrepreneurs or donors is needed," Kohler-Rollefson said. LPPS has some regular customers in far-off cities, Kohler-Rollefson said."We do have facilities for icecream making on our campus in Sadri and can make it on demand for visitors, but we are not able to get it to more distance consumers." Meanwhile, LPPS is making camel milk soaps, which are very popular at fairs, such as at Pushkar and the Nature Bazaar in Delhi.