PATUAKHALI. June 5: Lack* of storage, processing and marketing facilities about 7 lakh mounds of buffalo milk are being wasted in Southern region of the country every year, reports UNB.

According to a local estimate, there are about 1.5 lakh buffaloes in char lands of Patu-akhali. Barguna and Bhola districts. Of them, 96.000 in Pat-uakhali. 1,500 in Bhola and 52,500 in Barguna. Forty percent of these are milch buf faloes.

Due to its hardworking na ture the people of the char areas are earing buffalo for cultivation.

' A milch buffalo gives milk for six months a year at a rate of four to seven litres per day.

Due to its excessive fat content people generally avoid taking buffalo milk. Besides, for want of proper transportation facilities milk from char areas are not collected for sale in the towns.

In some places small amount of curd and ghee ut made from the milk. At Taltoli bazar in Amtali thana of Bar guna district ghee is made from buffalo milk locally. But this ghee is not fit for preservation for long time due to its poor quality.

Local people said if a milk processing factory could be established in the area the buffalo milk could be Well utilized for commercial purpose and the farmers could earn a lot from It.