Milk production to touch record levels

"Despite no special incentives for exports, the value of exports of milk products has increased from Rs 2.49 crore in 1990-91 to Rs 93 crore in 2003-04", Pawar said.

Sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures had become mandatory for dairy exports and serious efforts had to be made to adhere to the international standards.

Most of the dairy units were seriously considering taking ISO quality certificate by adopting the globally recognised HACCP standards.

A Centrally sponsored scheme for strengthening infrastructure for quality and clean milk production had also been launched, he said.

About 56 projects with a total outlay of Rs 66.57 crore and the Central share of Rs 53.60 crore were approved under the scheme in last financial year.

He informed the members that a Central sector scheme had been launched for facilitating revival of those sick milk co-operatives which were established under the Operation Flood programme. An outlay of Rs 154.77 crore had been kept apart for this scheme, he said.

Outlining the present scenario of the Indian dairy sector, Pawar said the country ranked first in cattle population.

Its 185 million cattle and 98 million buffaloes accounted for about 51 per cent of Asia's and about 19 per cent of the world's bovine population.

It maintained 57 per cent of the world's buffalo population. In last two decades, cross bred cows had emerged as an important dairy animal. The percentage of cross bred cattle had now risen to 13.3 per cent from 10 ore cent in 1997.

The milk output of the cross bred cows formed around 45 per cent of the total cow milk production.

About 70 million rural families, primarily small and marginal farmers and landless labourers, were engaged in milk production.

In the post-independence India, milk production had increased more than five-folds from a mere 17 million tonnes in 1950-51 to 88 million tonnes in 2003-04.