Agri Min pitches for better market linkage for milk producers

To further boost India's milk production, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today emphasised on the need for providing better market linkage to milk producers, upgradation of milk collection centres and ensuring remunerative price.

He also said the government will encourage small and marginal farmers and BPL households to rear descript indigenous breeds. India, the world's top milk producer, had 156 million tonnes of milk output last year.

The dairy sector issues were discussed at length in the agriculture ministry's Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting held here today. Implementation of the National Dairy Plan also featured in the meet.

"In order to encourage farmers for increasing milk production, it is imperative that milk collection facilities need to be upgraded and farmers be given remunerative price for their produce. This is possible only when an effective management system is in place to link farmers to the market," Singh said at the meeting.
 

Milk production has become a major economic activity among rural households and farmers are adopting dairying along with agriculture for augmenting their incomes, he said.

About 70 million rural households are engaged in milk production. The small and marginal farmers as also landless labourers produce about 1-3 litres of milk per day and account for production of most of the milk for the country, he added.

Milk output in India, the world's leading producer, was about 156 million tonnes in 2015-16 and even the per capita availability is higher at 337 grams per day compared with the world average of 229 grams.

The minister also highlighted the National Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development Programme (NPBBDD) being implemented in the country. The objective is to prepare a comprehensive and scientific programme to meet the increasing demand for milk.

Minister of State for Agriculture Sudarshan Bhagat and eight MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as well as Animal Husbandry Secretary Devendra Chaudhry and other senior ministry officials were present.