Govt allows casein exports

The government had banned exports of casein and milk powder in February last year,after the country had experienced a shortfall of the important food commodity.

Recently,Pawar had shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying that Centre8217;s policy towards milk and milk products has been 8220;ambivalent8221; and demanded opening of exports of skimmed milk powder and casein.

The country had exported milk powder and casein worth Rs 500 crore in the 2009-10 fiscal. The main markets for the products are Japan and Europe.

India,the world8217;s largest milk producer,has an annual production of about 121.8 million tonnes.

Casein is a protein compound extracted from milk. About 30-35 litres of milk is required to produce 1 kg of casein.