{"id":52133,"date":"2025-08-25T19:26:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T13:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=52133"},"modified":"2025-08-26T18:02:58","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T12:32:58","slug":"india-dairying-model-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/25-08-2025\/india-dairying-model-challenges","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Unique Dairying Model and Its Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Agriculture and Animal Husbandry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s low-cost, cooperative-led dairying model ensures global price competitiveness, but its dependence on cheap labour and low productivity poses long-term sustainability challenges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Dairy Sector of India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Global Leadership: <\/strong>India is the <strong>world\u2019s largest milk producer,<\/strong> contributing <strong>24.76% <\/strong>of global milk output.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Production Growth: <\/strong>Milk production rose from 146.31 million tonnes in 2014-15 to <strong>239.30 million tonnes <\/strong>in 2023-24.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Contribution: <\/strong>Dairy is India\u2019s single largest agricultural commodity, contributing<strong> 5% to GDP<\/strong> and employing over 8 crore farmers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Growth Performance:<\/strong> Livestock sector grew at a CAGR of 7.9% (2014-15 to 2020-21), outpacing the agriculture sector.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Per Capita Availability: <\/strong>Rose to <strong>471 g\/day in 2023\u201324<\/strong>, substantially above the world average of 322 g\/day.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Top Producing states: <\/strong>Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Structural Weaknesses in Indian Dairying<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Breed Productivity Gaps:<\/strong> Yields still lag behind advanced dairy nations, especially among indigenous breeds.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Average yield of Indian cows<\/strong> is <strong>1.64 tonnes\/year<\/strong> vs. 7.3 tonnes in EU and 11 tonnes in US.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Land &amp; Fodder Constraints:<\/strong> Unlike New Zealand, India lacks abundant pasture land.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reliance on crop residues and purchased feed makes dairying costly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dependence on Cheap Labour: <\/strong>Dairy sector has<strong> <\/strong>labour-intensive tasks such as&nbsp; feeding, milking, bathing cattle, cleaning sheds. The model survives on unpaid family labour with little opportunity cost.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rising rural education and alternative jobs may make such labour unavailable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate Impact &amp; Market Volatility:<\/strong> Extreme heat reduces yields and drives up prices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Slowing Growth: <\/strong>Production growth has slowed, from <strong>~6% <\/strong>in earlier years to 3.78% in 2023\u201324, with buffalo milk output declining<strong> 16%.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Post-Harvest Losses:<\/strong> Inadequate cold-chain and processing infrastructure cause wastage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Economic Contribution: <\/strong>India\u2019s dairy is the single largest agricultural commodity, contributing <strong>5 percent <\/strong>to the national economy and directly employing more than 8 crore farmers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nutritional Security: <\/strong>Milk is a major source of protein, calcium, and vitamins, improving dietary diversity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Export Potential:<\/strong> India is emerging as a supplier of dairy products like skimmed milk powder, butter, and ghee to Asia and Africa.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Women\u2019s Participation:<\/strong> <strong>35%<\/strong> of members in dairy cooperatives are women, highlighting the sector\u2019s role in gender-inclusive growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f5f5f5\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"508\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/government-initiatives-for-livestock-and-dairy-development-1024x508.png\" alt=\"government initiatives for livestock-and dairy development\" class=\"has-transparency wp-image-52135\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f5f5f5; width:513px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/government-initiatives-for-livestock-and-dairy-development-1024x508.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/government-initiatives-for-livestock-and-dairy-development-300x149.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/government-initiatives-for-livestock-and-dairy-development-768x381.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/government-initiatives-for-livestock-and-dairy-development-1536x762.png 1536w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/government-initiatives-for-livestock-and-dairy-development.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Boost Productivity: <\/strong>Intensify breed improvement (AI, IVF, indigenous genetics), nutrition reforms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen Infrastructure:<\/strong> Develop cold chains, chilling centres, and organized collection systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expand Cooperative Reach: <\/strong>Bring more farmers into organized frameworks; local-level cooperatives can cut inefficiencies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Risk Mitigation: <\/strong>Promote climate-resilient breeds, improve animal health (vaccination drives), and stable pricing frameworks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhance Inclusivity:<\/strong> Empower women through targeted interventions and enhanced participation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-economics\/indias-unique-dairying-model-and-the-challenges-it-faces-10209329\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">India\u2019s low-cost, cooperative-led dairying model ensures global price competitiveness, but its dependence on cheap labour and low productivity poses long-term sustainability challenges.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Dairy Sector of India<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Global Leadership: India is the world\u2019s largest milk producer, contributing 24.76% of global milk output.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Production Growth: Milk production rose from 146.31 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 239.30 million tonnes in 2023-24.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Economic Contribution: Dairy is India\u2019s single largest agricultural commodity, contributing 5% to GDP and employing over 8 crore farmers.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Growth Performance: Livestock sector grew at a CAGR of 7.9% (2014-15 to 2020-21), outpacing the agriculture sector.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/25-08-2025\/india-dairying-model-challenges\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":52195,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/india-dairying-model-challenges.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52133"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52230,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52133\/revisions\/52230"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}