India ranks first with 24 percent contribution to global milk production

Tags: Economy/Finance National News

India is the world's largest milk producer, contributing 24 per cent to global milk production in the year 2021-22, according to production data from the Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistics Database (FAOSTAT).

An overview of the news

• India's milk production has registered a growth of 51 per cent during the last eight years - 2014-15 and 2021-22 and has increased to 220 million tonnes in the year 2021-22.

• The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying runs various schemes to benefit the economically weaker farmers in the dairy sector.

• The National Program for Dairy Development aims to enhance the quality of milk and milk products and increase the share of organised procurement, processing, value addition and marketing.

National Programme for Dairy Development

• It was launched in February 2014 by merging three existing schemes- Intensive Dairy Development Programme, Strengthening Infrastructure for Quality and Clean Milk Production and Assistance to Cooperatives.

• In July 2021, it was restructured with the objective of enhancing the quality of milk and milk products and increasing the share of organised procurement, processing, value addition and marketing for implementation of the program from 2021-22 to 2025-26.

Government Initiatives to the Dairy sector

• Rashtriya Gokul Mission - launched in December 2014 with an outlay of Rs 2025 crore for the development and conservation of indigenous breeds through selective breeding.

• National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) - It is a flagship scheme launched in September 2019 for control of Foot & Mouth Disease and Brucellosis by vaccinating 100% cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig population.

• Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development - It has been approved for incentivizing investments by entrepreneurs, private companies, MSME, Farmers Producers Organizations for Dairy sector.

Indian Dairy Sector

• India ranks first in milk production and contributes 24% to global milk production.

• The top 5 milk-producing states are: Uttar Pradesh (14.9%), Rajasthan (14.6%), Madhya Pradesh (8.6%), Gujarat (7.6%) and Andhra Pradesh (7.0%).

• Dairy is the single largest agricultural commodity contributing 5% of the national economy, witnessing 6.4% in the past 5 years.

• About 80 million people are directly or indirectly employed in the dairy industry.