At 176.35 mn tonnes, milk production up 6.6% in 2017-18: MoS Agriculture

India's milk production is estimated to have increased by 6.6 per cent to 176.35 million tonnes during the last financial year.

"Milk production in the country is 165.4 million tonnes during 2016-17 and 176.35 million tonnes (provisional) during 2017-18," Minister of State for Agriculture Krishna Raj has said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

She also informed that the projected milk production by 2021-22 is 254.5 million tonnes as per the vision 2022 document. India is the largest milk producer in the world.

To achieve this target, the minister said that the department has been implementing many dairy development schemes to supplement the efforts of the state governments to create necessary infrastructure across the country.

These schemes are -- Rashtriya Gokul Mission, National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD), National Dairy Plan Phase I, Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme, Dairy Processing Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) and Supporting State Co-operative Dairy Federation.

To ensure supply of good quality and nutritious milk to consumers, she said the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has asked state food authorities to keep a strict vigil by regularly drawing food samples and take strict action against offenders.

The FSSAI has distributed electronic milk adulteration testing machines to states and Indian Railways for detection of fat, SNF, protein, lactose, density and added water as well as adulterants like urea, detergent, ammonium sulphate, caustic soda, hydrogen peroxide, soda and salt in the raw milk.

"Besides this, over 30,000 large test kits have been funded under National Dairy Plan phase I implemented by the government of India through NDDB. Similarly, DIDF scheme envisages funding 28,000 electronic milk adulteration testing equipment to help address adulteration," Raj said.