{"id":56029,"date":"2025-10-04T20:45:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T15:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=56029"},"modified":"2025-10-06T11:55:38","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T06:25:38","slug":"india-emerges-as-the-fastest-growing-dairy-producer-worldwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/04-10-2025\/india-emerges-as-the-fastest-growing-dairy-producer-worldwide","title":{"rendered":"India Emerges as the Fastest-Growing Dairy Producer Worldwide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Agriculture<\/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 dairy sector has expanded by <strong>70%<\/strong> in the past 11 years, with milk production rising from 146 million tonnes in 2014-15 to <strong>239 million tonnes <\/strong>in <strong>2023-24.<\/strong><\/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>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 <strong>CAGR of 7.9%<\/strong> (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>Key Enablers of India\u2019s Dairy Success<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Institutional Support:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)<\/strong> was established in <strong>1965<\/strong> at Anand to replicate the Amul cooperative model across India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The launch of Operation Flood in 1970<\/strong> transformed India into the world\u2019s largest milk producer by creating a nationwide cooperative structure for procurement and distribution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In recognition of its contribution, NDDB was declared an <strong>Institution of National Importance in 1987<\/strong> by an Act of Parliament.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Growth in Bovine Productivity:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India possesses<strong> 303.76 million<\/strong> bovines, which form the backbone of dairy production.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Between <strong>2014 and 2022<\/strong>, bovine productivity in India increased by <strong>27.39%, <\/strong>the highest globally, surpassing countries such as <strong>China, Germany, and Denmark.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cooperative Network: <\/strong>India\u2019s dairy cooperatives are supported by a strong network consisting of 22 milk federations, 241 district cooperative unions, 28 marketing dairies, and 25 Milk Producer Organisations (MPOs).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Contribution of Women: <\/strong>Nearly <strong>70%<\/strong> of the workforce in dairy farming consists of women, and about <strong>35%<\/strong> are active in dairy cooperatives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"c4dde3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"706\" height=\"548\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/India-Emerges-as-the-Fastest-Growing-Dairy-Producer-Worldwide.webp\" alt=\"India emerges as the fastest-growing dairy producer worldwide\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-56049\" style=\"--dominant-color: #c4dde3; width:548px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/India-Emerges-as-the-Fastest-Growing-Dairy-Producer-Worldwide.webp 706w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/India-Emerges-as-the-Fastest-Growing-Dairy-Producer-Worldwide-300x233.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 100vw, 706px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\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.<\/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>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s dairy sector is the backbone of rural livelihoods and a symbol of inclusive growth.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As the largest milk producer in the world, the country has combined farmer-led cooperatives, women\u2019s participation and scientific practices to achieve remarkable progress.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With the momentum of White Revolution 2.0, the sector is poised to boost productivity, expand opportunities and continue transforming rural prosperity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2174456\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">India\u2019s dairy sector has expanded by 70% in the past 11 years, with milk production rising from 146 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 239 million tonnes in 2023-24.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dairy Sector of India<\/strong><\/p>\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\">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<li class=\"ms-5\">Per Capita Availability: Rose to 471 g\/day in 2023\u201324, substantially above the world average of 322 g\/day.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/04-10-2025\/india-emerges-as-the-fastest-growing-dairy-producer-worldwide\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56029","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=56029"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56086,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56029\/revisions\/56086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}