Md Likhon Islam, BAU Correspondent:
The Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) celebrated World Milk Day 2024 with a series of vibrant events. The Department of Dairy Science, under the Faculty of Animal Husbandry, organized activities including feeding milk to schoolchildren, a colorful rally, and a seminar.
The celebrations began on Saturday, June 1, at 9:00 AM with the distribution of milk to children from various schools on the university campus. Following this, a rally was conducted at 10:30 AM from the Faculty of Animal Husbandry. The rally concluded with a seminar themed “The Vital Role Dairy Plays in Delivering Quality Nutrition to Nourish the World” held in the Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin auditorium.
The seminar was chaired by Dr. A.K.M. Masum, Head of the Dairy Science Department. The event featured Professor Dr. Md. Abdul Awal, Acting Vice-Chancellor of the university, as the chief guest. Special guests included Professor Dr. Shajeda Akhter, Dean of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry.. Additionally, industry figures and former faculty and students of the Dairy Science Department attended the event.
Dr. Mohammad Shohel Rana Siddiqui, Secretary of the World Milk Day Celebration Committee and Professor of the Dairy Science Department, presented the keynote speech. He discussed the importance of milk as a global food, the history and current status of World Milk Day celebrations, and the role of milk in sustainable food security. Addressing common misconceptions about milk, he emphasized that certain components in milk help prevent cancer and benefit diabetic patients. He noted that regular milk consumption can reduce the risk of diabetes by 40 percent and clarified that milk does not contain elements that cause gastritis or other issues, which are mainly due to lactose intolerance in some individuals.
In his address, Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Abdul Awal highlighted that milk is an essential component of a quality diet, meeting all nutritional needs. He pointed out that in many countries, a bottle of milk is cheaper than a bottle of water. He stressed the need to make milk accessible to everyone and encouraged the consumption of dairy products over harmful beverages to meet hydration needs.
