UFA, September 3 (Itar-Tass) — The first All-Russian Festival “Milk country-2011” opens in the Bashkiria capital Ufa. Its main events will take place in the square in front of the townhall, Itar-Tass learnt at the festival organising committee.
It is planned to set a record on milk-drinking during the tasting by holidaymakers. Festival guests will be suggested to drink seven tonnes of milk during five hours in the square, winning thereby a chance to get into the Russian Book of Records and the Guinness Book of World Records.
A national Bashkiria dish “kystybyi”– a pie with potato, milk and butter – with a diameter of two metres will be baked at the same place. To make the pie, a pan with a diameter of over six metres and a rolling-pin 2.5 metres long will be needed to bake it at the same place. More than 50 kilos of coal will be needed to make the pan hot.
Board chairman of the National Union of the dairy industry Andrei Danilenko said that “the festival is part of a programme on stimulating consumption of national products, initiated by the Russian Agriculture Ministry. The programme starts precisely with milk, since dairy goods are the most socially important product”.
“The festival includes participants of all ages and various interests. This will be a good holiday for entire families, which is dedicated to a healthy way of life,” Danilenko underlined.
Bashkiria head Rustem Khamitov said that “the festival will also include various games, plus scientific part – various discussions”. “We shall show all our skills; all diary products, we produce, will be on display. We are now in the lead in milk in the Russian Federation, but our lead is very small. We shall make efforts to increase it, since we have markets, and there are those who want to work.”
The festival is sponsored by the National Union of the dairy industry and the republican government and co-sponsored by the Russian Agriculture Ministry. The festival will be held in line with the all-Russian programme of the Russian Agriculture Ministry on perking up consumption of milk and dairy products.