MLBA 10: August / September 2009

 

 

 

 

With a growth rate of five to six percent per annum, In­dia's dairy sector is looking good. In the global scenario, India is the top milk producer and a world leader in the production of dairy prod­ucts. It also exported US$901-million worth of dairy cattle in 2006-07, ac­cording to the Animal Husbandry De­partment (AHD).

 

The country's dairy sector plays a vital role in providing not only for the country's nutritional needs but also income and employment to a large segment of the Indian population.

 

The remarkable progress that the Indian dairy scene has made in recent years is exemplified by India attain­ing the prominent status in terms of total milk production in the world. This growth has been achieved by following a multi-pronged strategy and extensive intervention of govern­ment agencies coupled with increased demand driven by population growth, rising income levels and rapid urbani­sation. And the globalisation of dairy trade has further accentuated the need for directing scientific pursuits to­wards accelerating the growth of In­dian dairying.

 

The government has further fo­cused on raising production through rapid research and utilisation of natural resources, innovative market research, private-public-partnership (PPP), post-harvest technologies, sus­tainable environmental management, waste treatment, etc. Among these, food security and safety emerged as some of the main issues to address for India to also lead in terms of quality milk production.

 

According to AHD, global milk production is estimated at 693 mil­lion tonnes in 2008 and is expected to increase by two percent to almost 710 million tonnes in 2009, while milk production is expected to rise by 3.5 percent in Asia. This slow rate of growth is largely caused by a sharp slowdown in China. India however is expected to sustain its normal growth of about three percent.

 

India's plan for its dairy sector re­mains unabated with the government now looking to boost milk production further to 180 million tonnes by 2020-2021 through its National Dairy Plan.