India prepares to meet rising milk demand

According to current statistics, it is estimated that the country will need 150mn tonnes milk by 2016-17.

The minster of agriculture Sharad Pawar said that India is ranked first among the milk producing nations with 128mn tonnes of production at present.

For raising this by 22mn tonnes within this plan, the country will focus on a strategy to enhance productivity, strengthen and expand village-level infrastructure for milk procurement access to market.

Further explaining the strategy, the minister said, “The strategy involves increasing the genetic potential of bovines, producing the required number of quality bulls, producing superior quality frozen semen, promoting scientific management practices and adopting adequate bio-security measures for effective control of diseases.

The minister also emphasised on the need to bring more dairy farmers into the organised sector. He said, “The credit of rapid expansion of India’s dairy sector goes to the cooperative movement. Today about 15mn farmers have been organised under village level dairy cooperative societies in the country. India has built a substantial capacity for procurement, processing and marketing of milk and milk products, both in cooperative and private sector.”