India's milk production growing at 4pc annually: expert
Anand, Mar 14: India's milk production has been growing at over four per cent annually as compared to the growth in world milk production which is 2.75 per cent, a top dairy industry leader said today.
While delivering the keynote address at the XLI Dairy Industry Conference with the theme 'Global Dairy Industry and Food Security'in Mumbai, Dr Amrita Patel, chairman of National Dairy Development Board, said the per capita availability of milk has also increased to 290 gm per day, which is comparable with world per capita availability of 289 gm per day.
'With incomes rising, the demand for milk is also growing much faster and has been projected to reach 200-210 million tonnes by 2021-2022. The only way we can meet this demand through domestic production, is by increasing productivity,' she said.
Dr Patel said a scientific approach to increase productivity that is, breeding and feeding is needed and this requires a change in the mindset of all those who are today providing services to farmers.
She said, 'The first obligation of dairy industry is to continue to build and expand the domestic market and find creative ways with our central and state governments to ensure that an increasing proportion of our nation's children drink milk.'