A market for pure cow's milk sits every morning in Sandwip. From morning until noon, milkmen can be seen in markets across the upazila, selling milk they collect from cattle farms and household cows and buffaloes. Cow's milk sells at Tk 50 to 60 a kg.

Buyers crowd these milk markets. In Sandwip the milk is available in the mornings at Shiberhat, Dhoparhat, Alimia Bazar, Chowdhury Bazar, Guptachhara Bazar, Senerhat, Taltali Bazar, Chowmuhani Bazar and Akbar Hat, and at Panditer Hat in the afternoon as well. Most households in Sandwip keep two or three cows, which helps meet a big shortfall in milk. Curd has long been a tradition at weddings in Sandwip, and traders buy milk wholesale every day to meet the demand for curd.

Pure cow's milk does not stay pure after passing through many hands on its way to the city, and the Sandwip markets are markets for pure milk. At the milk markets, many sellers sit with bottles and jugs full of milk, and buyers come and take as much as they need.

Forkan Uddin had come to buy milk at Dhoparhat Bazar. He said he needs milk every day for his grandson; the price here is a little higher, but the milk is unadulterated, so he buys it here.

Milk seller Md Belal said: "I used to sell wholesale to traders at Tk 40 a kg. Now I sell retail and also wholesale to various hotels. The hotel owners make curd, rasgolla, sandesh and other sweets with the milk. I have four cows, which give 10 to 12 kg of milk a day. But because bran is expensive, my costs are a bit higher."

There is, however, no way of knowing whether Sandwip's milk is actually pure. Many complain that there is no sanitary inspection, so the milk is never tested. Village doctor Dr Nurul Anwar Hiron said: "There is adulteration everywhere now. Milk needs to be tested from time to time."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.