Dairying in India: Opportunities and Challenges
49th Dairy Industry Conference
To begin with, I would like to congratulate the West Zone and Gujarat State Chapter team of the Indian Dairy Association for successfully organizing the 49th Dairy Industry Conference (DIC) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. It is after 27 years that the Dairy Industry conference has been organized in Gujarat and since then Gujarat as well India have grown by leaps and bounds. 27 years ago this annual convention was organized under the leadership of the revolutionary Dr. Kurien and it gives me immense pride to see his legacy return in a grand way. Farmer producer members, dairy scientists, professionals, policy makers, etc. were attendees representing a 10-lakh crore industry under one roof. Since the last IDA conference was organized in Gujarat in 1996, milk production in India has grown by 3 times from 71 MMT to 222 MMT. At the same time, milk production in Gujarat grew multifold by almost 9 times, from 30 lakh litres to 270 lakh litres per day. Dairying in India is one of the few industries that has grown only on infrastructural investments and expansions.
It was a productive and enjoyable experience, where we saw industry experts, researchers, and policy makers come together to discuss current trends, challenges, and opportunities in the dairy industry. I take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the attendees who made this conference a huge success. The participation and enthusiasm shown by all of you have made this conference an unforgettable experience.
I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the
organizing committee for their tireless efforts in planning
and executing the conference. Their hard work and
dedication have made this conference a huge success.
I would also like to thank the esteemed speakers who
have shared their expertise and insights during the
technical sessions, inspiring everyone to explore new
ideas and approaches in continuing to build India as a
global dairy powerhouse.
Furthermore, I would like to thank the sponsors, whose
generous support has made this conference possible.
Their contributions have helped us in providing an
enriching and engaging experience for all. Also, a
special mention for the venue staff, technical support
teams, and volunteers who have worked tirelessly behind
the scenes to ensure a seamless experience for all
participants.
The theme for this year's conference was – "India- Dairy
to the World. Opportunities and challenges" Over
3000 national and international dairy leaders, experts,
farmers, processors, and producers attended 19 sessions
grouped into various thematic verticals, such as milk
processing opportunities and challenges, Animal
husbandry innovations, Dairy Science and Farming
techniques and innovations, the growing market for
startups within the dairy sector, as well as Sustainability
and Climate Action discussions, delivered by speakers and specialists from all over the world. The programme
included various panels integrated by prestigious
speakers, many of whom are distinguished members of
key stakeholder organizations, such as dairy cooperatives, IDF, research and educational institutes.
During the conference around 205 National and
International exhibitors represented their respective
companies.
The inaugural Ceremony on 16th March 2023 was
presided over by Hon'ble Shri Parshottam Rupala, Union
Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries,
GoI in the presence of more than 3000 participants
other than distinguished guests and farmer producer
members. Shri Meenesh Shah,Chairman NDDB; Prof.
Ramesh Chand, Member Niti Ayog; Mr. Piercristiano
Brazzale, President, IDF; and Ms. Caroline Emond,
Director General, IDF also graced the occasion with their
presence.
In his opening address, Shri Rupala emphasized the
significance of milk, animal husbandry and allied sectors
in Bharat (Rural India), the priority that this sector holds
for the leadership of the country and how the business
of milk has been integral to India's culture from time
immemorial. Unlike other developed countries of the
world, small and marginal farmers have been the driving
force of dairy sector in India. Today, India is the largest
milk producing country in the world and the sector
provides employment to more than 9 crore families of
India. Out of the total producers' work force, around
70% are women milk producer members managing the
entire operations of dairying and animal husbandry.
The successful execution of such a unique business model
can be witnessed only in India. He addressed the most
pertinent issue faced by the dairy sector in in the last
year - the shortage of fat rich products. His vision is
clear - increase the productivity of bovine animals to
deal with the crisis and immediately execute all the
measures required to help India achieve its goals in the
coming 25 years.
Hon'ble Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation,
Government of India, Shri Amit Shah, who presided over
the Valedictory Ceremony on the third day of the
conference, particularly highlighted the contribution of
dairying to the growth story of India. He applauded
the co-operative model of business implemented in the
Indian dairy sector where 70 per cent of every consumer
rupee goes back to the farmers. India was the 11th
largest economy in 2014 and now it has moved up to number five. He highlighted that going ahead, the dairy
industry must adopt professionalism, latest technology,
computerization, and digital payments on a large scale.
Dairy sector has grown at a 6.6 percent annual rate
over the last decade. He said that the Ministry of
Cooperation, National Dairy Development Board
(NDDB) and the Department of Animal Husbandry
formed by the PM Modi will establish rural dairies in 2
lakh panchayats in the country and then the growth
rate of the dairy sector will achieve 13.80 percent. The
need of the hour is to bring about White Revolution 2.0
in the country, to take India to the next level in production
and yield.
The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri
Bhupendrabhai Patel while conveying his thoughts on
the progress of dairying in India, rightly highlighted that
the Indian dairy sector owes its success to 'production
by masses' rather than 'mass production'. Out of the
total producers' work force, around 70% are women
milk producer members managing the entire operations
of dairying and animal husbandry. The successful
execution of such a unique co-operative business model
can be witnessed only in India. The co-operative business
model can also become the Holy Grail for the
development of dairy sector in many underdeveloped
countries of the world. Not only has the sector
demonstrated immense distribution & supply chain
efficiency, but it has also become an epitome world class
product innovation - right from basic dairy staples such
as butter and ghee to an entire new range of organic
products, snacks and bakery products.
Addressing the gathering Shri Meenesh Shah, Chairman,
NDDB reiterated the thought process of Dr. Verghese
Kurien, who believed that the future and success of
dairying in India will emerge from the confluence of the
wisdom of dairy farmers of Bharat and the skills of dairy
professionals of India. An occupation that stood the test
of time for generations now, dairying is not only one of
the most reliable and sustainable livelihood options but
also a business that has worked ahead of its time in
terms of backward integration and producers' upliftment.
While India will definitely achieve the target of
producing 1 litre of milk for every 2 litres produced
globally, it is now imperative for private as well as cooperative players to amp their distribution strength and
leverage the global export share from 1% to 15%.
The Verghese Kurien Memorial lecture was delivered
by Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog, who also addressed the inaugural gathering on the first day.
Congratulating the farmer producer members and the
heads of dairies for the outstanding achievement of India
in the field of dairying and animal husbandry in the
last 50 years, he chalked out the goals and challenges
that the country is yet to overcome. India has come a
long way from a milk deficient nation to the world's
largest producer of milk that would be contributing to
approximately 25% of the global milk production by the
coming financial year. The way ahead for us is to explore
and develop a huge export market for Indian Dairy
products and to counter the challenge of prevalent
adulteration, especially in the unorganized dairy market.
In this respect, Mr. Piercristiano Brazzale, President, IDF
added that he was "particularly impressed" by the
sophistication and technology that Indian dairy value
chain has incorporated. This is reflected upon the breathtaking metrics that Indian Dairy shows today and its
projected future growth which will surely consolidate it
as the largest on a global scale".
The Director General of IDF - Ms. Caroline Emond,
remarked that the 49th Dairy Industry conference was a
forum for national and international dairy sector actors
and stakeholders to meet and discuss issues pertaining
to dairy, share knowledge and innovations, identify
patterns and trends for the future and generate
networking and business opportunities. It was also an
opportunity to know more about the success stories with
respect to Indian dairy practices and learn from its
experiences.
The conference held In Gandhinagar was an opportunity
to show case the real strength of small milk producer
members particularly women producers of India, the
reality of production and consumption by masses, supply chain efficiency, various latest technologies, innovation
in launching new products, adoption of latest technology
at milk procurement, processing, and marketing area,
etc. All the delegates and visitors found this to be a
perfect platform to learn from their peers and take back
with them a plethora a business opportunities.
Based on the milk production trend (short and long term),
it is predicated that India may produce around 628
MMT of milk per year in next 25 years and contribute
around 45% of world milk production. In next 25 years,
the production value of milk may reach to USD 400
billion from current level of USD 110 billion.
Further, during that time India will have a surplus of
around 110 MMT of milk which means India must start
investing in export of milk and milk products. The future
of dairy industry looks very optimistic and it's a great
opportunity to show the real strength of dairying to the
world.
Personally, having attended many dairy conferences
over several years, I felt that the 49th DIC has really
raised the bar with respect to the organization of the
summit, the facilities provided to all attendees and the
quality of sessions conducted during the 3-day
conference. We look forward to more such events being
organized in future and many more such occasions for
the dairy fraternity to come together on a single platform.