NEW DELHI, 15 November 2016 : With growing demand for milk in the country, milk production has grown by 6.7 per cent during 2015-16, Indian agriculture and farmers welfare minister, Radha Mohan Singh said recently.
Singh while speaking at that the conference of stake holders related to dairy industry in National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in New Delhi recently said that owing to the enhancement in milk production the availability of milk statistics based on daily basis per capita with the existing level of 337 gram is likely to go up 500 gram daily by the year 2021-22.
Hard labour extended by the people engaged in diary sector and unabated efforts of central government, India has achieved 4.2 per cent average growth in milk production and has left behind the world average of 2.2 per cent, Singh stressed.
Singh said that it is also very much imperative to create awareness and to improve veterinary services.
India ranks first in milk production in the world for last fifteen years and credit for this goes to the small milk producers and added that demand of milk and milk made products is increasing and it is likely to go up by 240 million tonnes by the year 2025.
The Minister said that it is extremely necessary to utilize scientific outputs and sophisticated technique in dairy because there is no enhancement of milk productivity in spite of the availability of best species of bovines in India.
Govt to spend $75 million under Gokul Mission
Singh said that Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has taken a number of steps to increase the production of milk in which Gokul Mission is very much prominent.
Under this mission for the year 2014-15 to 2016-17 a provision of Rs. $75 million (500 crore) has been made. NDDB with the assistance of World Bank and Central Government has taken several measures under National Dairy Scheme Phase – I, a centrally sponsored scheme. It includes a genetic improvement among bovines, betterment of rural infrastructure in dairy and to provide better opportunities for milk vendors.
The initiation of NDDB –I had been made in 14 states and at present it is being carried out in 18 states along with Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Telangana.
Singh further added that an enhancement of more than 6 per cent in milk production sector is necessary for a true development meant for this sector. In order to achieve this object, improved technologies, capacity building, marketing, scientific livestock management, knowhow related to milk production and better arrangement of loans is necessary so as to operate a dairy systematically and in a balanced way.
By the year 2022 the income of the farmers is to be made as double and to achieve this target the dairy sector is to play a very important role, Singh opined.