Dairy product exports to gain momentum

The country's Rs 1,50,000-crore dairy sector is now poised to enter the export business in a big way. Already, the dairy product exports have jumped from around 2000 to 3000 tonnes a year till recently to over 30,000 tonnes this year.

"With the present trend of higher international dairy product prices, there is every possibility of a greater scope of Indian dairy product exports", said Indian Dairy Association (IDA) president Animesh Banerjee.

He was briefing newspersons about the 33rd dairy industry conference being held here from September 26 to 28. About 1000 delegates from the country and abroad are expected to deliberate on the theme "Indian dairying "" vision 2020: towards excellence."

Banerjee said the meet would explore opportunities for boosting investment in the dairy sector. It would also explore possibilities of entering into buy-back arrangements and export deals with neighbouring countries. Dairymen from these countries had specially been invited with this end in view.

He said the IDA had recently submitted a memorandum to the government, seeking the same kind of incentives for investment in dairy industry as were being offered for food processing.

The IDA had also apprised the government that the sops offered in the budget by way of cut in import duty on certain dairy equipment were meaningless. The real costly equipment that needed duty cuts were not covered under this scheme.

He said the country's milk production was growing at an impressive annual rate of four per cent.

There were around 522 registered milk plants, processing merely about 12 per cent of the total estimated milk output of 88 million tonnes.

Of these, 194 plants were in the cooperative sector, 267 in the private sector and 61 in the public and other sectors. Still, about 88 per cent of the total milk output was being handled by the unorganised sector.