The department of animal husbandry under the Union ministry of agriculture is considering additional relaxation in the export of milk products. After the directorate general of foreign trade decided to pursue a free export policy for skimmed milk powder in June, it has now been proposed that export of whole milk powder (WMP) and dairy whiteners also be freed.
In February 2011, the government had banned the export of all milk products, including skimmed milk powder, WMP, dairy whiteners, infant milk, casein and casein products. The list of items prohibited from being exported also included milk and concentrated cream containing added sugar and other sweeteners. This financial year, the demand for milk powder in India is estimated at 88,000 tonnes, against the availability of 1,12,000 tonnes. It is estimated in 2011, milk production in India, the world's largest producer, stood at about 121 million tonnes (mt).
According to a report by the National Council for Applied Economic Research, from 66.2 mt in 1995-96, milk production has increased to 121.8 mt in 2010-11. The average annual growth in milk production from 2000-01 to 2010-11 stood at four per cent. The Planning Comm-ission has said India’s annual milk requirement in 2021-22 would be about 180 mt.
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In India, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Rajas-than, Maharashtra and West Bengal are the major producers of cow milk, while Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajas-than, Punjab and Gujarat are the major producers of buffalo milk. The wholesale price index for milk rose 76 per cent between 2004-05 and 2010-11, while the wholesale price index for dairy products rose 52 per cent during the same period. This is primarily due to the fact that in the last decade, per capita monthly consumption expenditure on milk and milk products doubled in rural areas.