New Delhi (NVI): The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying is working towards increasing milk productivity through genetic improvement and reduction of input cost.
In this direction, a programme has been launched recently for improvement of milk quality by providing required testing facilities at the village and dairy plant level for safe human consumption.
The Animal Husbandry department, which is continuously working towards this direction, has proposed to further intensify the Quality Milk Programme for both cooperative and private sector with fund sharing basis.
Milk production in India has gone up by 6.4 per cent in the past 5 years. It increased from 146.3 million MT in 2014-15 to 187.7 million MT in 2018-19, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying said in a statement today.
About 54% of milk produced is marketable surplus and remaining 46% is retained in villages for local consumption. Out of the marketable surplus available with farmers only 36% is handled by organised sectors evenly shared by cooperative and private sector. The ministry has said that is a need to bring the remaining 64% surplus milk under the organized fold through various interventions.
During last 2 years milk procurement is also growing by about 9% in Cooperative sector, the ministry said.
With a thrust on better productivity, reduced input cost and better quality milk and milk product, the competitiveness and profitability in the dairy sector will get enhanced leading to increased demand of dairy products in domestic and international market.
This would also bring private investments in the sector to boost growth in rural income and also employment, the ministry added.
To achieve the target, public investment to further incentivise private investments would be facilitated for increasing processing facilities through convergence and leveraging the schemes of various departments and ministries.
