HOW DAIRY HELP FARMERS TO BE SELF DEPENDENT AND ENSURE SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
India had come a long way from being
deficit in milk production to being an exporter of milk now. It was the vision
of Verghese Kurien that the country, under Operation Flood, became not only
self-sufficient in milk production but also exported it. There was a time
before 1970 when the country used to import milk. It was now the largest
producer of milk in the world. It was due to milk production that farmers were
able to lead a dignified life in the country. The country must now usher in a
new era of development for the dairy sector, by building procurement
infrastructure in milk deficit states and adopting appropriate technology in
these regions.
World Milk Day was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on June 1, 2001, to recognize the importance of milk as a global food. This day provides an opportunity to know the importance and benefit of milk with regards to health and nutrition and the importance of the dairy sector in the global economy. This sector also plays an important role in achieving food security, reducing global poverty, generating employment opportunities for women, and providing a regular source of income for rural households. Moreover, in developing economies, landless and poor farmers are actively involved in dairying as an essential means of livelihood. According to the FAO 2018 report, more than 500 million impoverished people depend mainly on livestock, and many of them are small and marginal dairy farmers.
By 1998, India overtook the US to become
the largest milk producer in the world, and it contributed 22 per cent of the
global milk production in 2018. Between 1991 and 2018, the per capita
availability of milk increased from 178 (gm/day) to 394 (gm/day). During this
period, milk production in India increased from 55.6 million tonnes to 187.7
million tonnes, and growing at 4
per cent compounded annually. As per the
NITI Aayog working group 2018 report, milk production in India will increase to
around 330 million tonnes in 2032-33, and milk supply will exceed milk demand
by 38 million tonnes in 2032-33. As per the National Action Plan on Dairy
Development vision 2022 report, it is envisioned to increase milk procurement
and processing through setting up of village-level dairy infrastructure. Under
this plan, organised milk handling is to be increased to 41 per cent by 2022
and to 50 per cent by 2023-24. Milk procurement by cooperatives will increase
from 10 per cent in 2020 to 20 per cent in 2023, and milk procurement by the
private sector will be increased from 10 per cent to 30 per cent in the same
period.
The dairy sector is one of the crucial
sectors in the Indian economy that not only provides employment to millions of
rural households but also contributes to the economy. Among the livestock
products, milk consists of the highest share, and it accounted for 67.2 per
cent of the livestock sector in 2017. Moreover, there is an interesting note
here that milk and milk products contributed more than 20.6 per cent of the
combined output of paddy, wheat and pulses in 2017. Annually, 8.4 million
farmers depend on the dairy sector for their livelihoods, out of which 71 per
cent are women (Agriculture Skill Council of India). Furthermore, in a year,
crop production employs the rural workforce for 90 to 120 days, but dairy
provides alternative employment opportunities throughout the 365 days of the
year.
India is self-sufficient in milk production
because 73 million dairy farmers are engaged in the dairy sector, especially
women. Regarding benefits to the farmer, around 60 per cent of the consumers
price from milk goes to the farmer, which is the highest among major
milk-producing countries (International Farm Comparison Network, Dairy Report,
2018). The data show that 10 States in India produce 81 per cent of the milk,
and the rest of the States and Union Territories produce the balance 19 per
cent. Similarly, only nine States have achieved per capita availability of milk
at par with the national level. The government needs to devise a suitable dairy
development policy for enhancing milk production in potential districts and
States. Therefore, dairy promotion among small and landless farmers is
necessary to increase the availability of milk, and it will also help reduce
nutrition related problems in milk deficit regions of the country.
This lockdown has steadily established the
role of technology in the agriculture and livestock sector — be it Ninjacart
(tech-driven supply chain platform) which is linking thousands of producers
directly with consumers or Amul which has increased both its milk procurement
(15 per cent) and processing during the lockdown period. Technology has played
a crucial role in converting these uncertain times into opportunities for
growth. Thus apart from building milk procurement infrastructure in milk
deficit States and districts, efforts should also be made for the penetration
of appropriate technology in these regions.
Moreover, strengthening cooperative milk
business across these regions will help generate alternative employment
opportunities, especially for women and economically disadvantaged communities.
A flourishing dairy sector will help rural India become self-reliant and will
also contribute to doubling farmers' income.
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