NEW DELHI, 18 January 2026: India’s apex agricultural research body, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to strengthen multidisciplinary research, innovation and capacity building across the dairy value chain.
The agreement was signed by Dr Raghavendra Bhatta, Deputy Director General (Animal Science), ICAR, and S Regupathi, Executive Director (Operations), NDDB, in the presence of Dr Mangi Lal Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General, ICAR, and Dr Meenesh C Shah, Chairman, NDDB.
The partnership aims to combine ICAR’s scientific expertise with NDDB’s extensive field-level experience to address emerging challenges in dairy production, processing and value addition, with a strong focus on empowering millions of dairy farmers nationwide.
Dr Jat underscored the importance of breaking institutional silos through complementary research and integrated farming systems. He said the MoU will enable structured collaboration to tackle complex issues such as climate resilience, low livestock productivity and value chain inefficiencies. Highlighting fodder as a critical input for productivity enhancement, he also advocated the adoption of gaushalas to manage stray cattle and develop sustainable manure management and biogas utilisation models.
“All initiatives will be driven by cutting-edge innovations and technologies developed across ICAR institutes,” Dr Jat said, positioning the partnership as a catalyst for modernising India’s dairy ecosystem.
NDDB chairman Dr Meenesh Shah described the alliance as a potential foundation for one of the world’s largest integrated scientific collaboration platforms in line with the ‘Viksit Bharat’ vision. He noted NDDB’s prior engagements with ICAR on national missions such as ration balancing, mineral mapping and total mixed ration programmes.
Dr Shah highlighted new areas of cooperation, including ethno-veterinary medicine and scalable intervention models across diverse agro-climatic zones. He also pointed to collaboration opportunities spanning value chains for fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, fodder, milk and dairy products.
The MoU emphasises knowledge exchange, technology development and validation, human resource development and joint training programmes for scientists, professionals and farmers. Officials said the agreement will accelerate the translation of research outcomes into practical, field-level solutions, boosting productivity, profitability and sustainability across the dairy sector.
Senior officials and representatives from both organisations attended the signing ceremony, marking a significant step towards strengthening India’s livestock and agriculture innovation ecosystem.