Milk production to grow at 9 pc annually by 2022 from 6 pc now: Agri Min

The annual growth in milk production will increase to 9 per cent by 2022 from the current 6.3 per cent on the back of several initiatives taken by the government to boost the dairy sector, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said today.

Milk output of India, the world's largest producer, stood at 165 million tonnes in 2016-17.

"Annual increase in milk production is 6.3 per cent during 2014-18 period while annual increase in milk production during the period 2010-14 was 4 per cent," the minister said at "World Milk Day" function here.

Singh said the annual growth of milk production is estimated to rise to 9 per cent by 2022.

The country's milk production has increased by 23.69 per cent during 2014-18, he added.

"We are at number one position in milk production but our productivity is lower," Singh said, adding that the government was making efforts to increase milk production by raising productivity of milch animals.

Singh highlighted that the ministry has sanctioned 20 gokul grams during the last four years under Rashtriya Gokul Mission and out of this, 3 have been completed and work is under progress at remaining 17 gokul grams.

Two National Kamdhenu Breeding Centres -- one in southern India in Andhra Pradesh at Chintaladevi and other in northern India in Madhya Pradesh at Itarsi -- are being established.

The minister further said that the government has recently launched 'Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF)' with a total outlay of Rs 10,881 crore where cooperatives will be provided loans at 6.5 per cent annual interest to be repaid within a period of 10 years. The Centre will provide the interest subsidy.

This scheme targets to benefit 95 lakh milk producers through coverage of 50,000 villages. Many skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers would get direct or indirect employment opportunity under the scheme.

Under this scheme, additional milk processing capacity of 126 lakh litres per day with 210 tonnes milk drying capacity per day and 140 lakh litres of milk chilling capacity per day will be created by establishment of bulk milk coolers.

The programme also has a provision for 28,000 electronic milk adulteration testing equipment and the facilities to convert 60 lakh litre of milk per day into value-added milk products. So far during current year, 10 projects of Rs 1,148 crore have been approved.