An important part of healthy and balanced diet, Milk has been a part of our culture, a way of life since time immorial. Not only milk and dairy products are beneficial for us, but the dairy sector constitutes a vital part of global food system providing economic social nutritional benefits to many people around the world. As we are an agricultural country, the world milk day holds more importance considering it one of the staple foods of the country. The variation of using milk in the country differs, but it is an important part of at least one meal a day.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF MILK
Milk rightly called as the complete food, holds an extremely crucial position in our daily intake. It is full of protein and nutrients that are absolutely essential for human growth at all stages of life. Milk is also an amazing source of many healthy nutrients like magnesium, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin A, folate, vitamin D, protein, healthy fats, etc. It provides instant energy to the body as it contains good quality proteins including non-essential and essential amino acids and fatty acids. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) states that an individual needs about 600-800 mg/day of calcium which increases to 1200 mg/day in pregnant and lactating mothers. Inadequate calcium intake for longer duration is responsible for osteopenia and osteoporosis.
The best source of calcium is milk. Kids and adults can drink milk as it helps keep their teeth healthy and prevent cavities. It also increases their height, strength, and immunity power. Milk contains essential fats that are required for developing babies too. Milk is an excellent energy source. Due to its high-energy property, milk is often recommended for people who have just undergone surgery or those suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome or anemia. Milk contains essential vitamins like A, B12, D, and E and minerals such as calcium and phosphorous. Milk has natural sugars (lactose) that help promote strong teeth and gums.
NATIONAL MILK DAY (NMD):
To commemorate the birth anniversary of the Father of White Revolution in India Dr. Varghese Kurien National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and Indian Dairy Association (IDA) announced the first National Milk Day on 26 November 2014 in his honor. Dr. Kurien was the father of the White Revolution in India and introduced ‘Operation Flood,’ under which dairy production was industrialized to improve milk production in the country. Dr. Kurien revolutionized the dairy industry in India; now, it is the biggest self-sustaining industry in the country, contributing 5.3% value to the country’s total GDP. He identified the potential of the dairy industry in the country and, through dedicated operations, managed to transform the entire industry. He is also credited with the establishment of world fame milk brand, AMUL (Anand Milk Union Limited). The most unique thing of the white revolution was that the milk producers were also given the responsibility of sale of milk. This increased their rural income which subsequently resulted in increasing the GDP and the result was that by 2016, India became the world’s largest milk producer.
STATUS AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
Milk is an important constituent part of the dairy industry. India has been the leading producer and consumer of dairy products worldwide since 1998 with a sustained growth in the availability of milk and milk products. The dairy industry also serves as a tool of socio-economic development. Dairy activities form an essential part of the rural Indian economy, serving as an important source of employment and income. India also has the largest bovine population in the world. India is the highest milk producer and ranks first position in the world contributing 24% of global milk production in the year 2021-22. The milk production of India has registered 61% increase during the last eight years i.e., during the year 2013-14 and 2021-22 and increased to 221.1 Mn Tonnes in the year 2021-22. The top five milk producing states in India are Rajasthan (15.05%), Uttar Pradesh (14.93%), Madhya Pradesh (8.6%), Gujarat (7.56%) and Andhra Pradesh (6.97%). Together these states make up for 53.11% of total Milk Production of the country. As far as export of dairy products from the country is concerned, it was 67572.99 MT worth $284.65Mn during the year 2022-23.
As a result of the continuous efforts, the production of 55.6 million tonnes and per capita availability of 178 grams/day in 1991-92 has increased to 221.1 million tonnes and 444 grams per day in 2021-22. However, there are still many issues in milk production in the country. The milk production per animal is significantly low as compared to the other major dairy producers. India’s productivity per animal is very low. There is also production inefficiency: Inadequate farm management, Inadequate access to finances, lack of affordable technology, and access to information also led to low production efficiency in India. Besides these, climate extremities and availability of fodder throughout the year also remain a challenge. Moreover, nearly all of the dairy produce in India is consumed domestically, with the majority of it being sold as fluid milk. On account of this, the Indian dairy industry holds tremendous potential for value-addition and overall development. The FAO data also reveal that more than one billion people’s livelihoods are supported by the dairy sector and that dairy is consumed by more than six billion people globally. The focus is being given to value-added products such as cheese, yogurt, probiotic drinks, etc. They are also introducing innovative products keeping in mind the specific requirements of the Indian consumers. These players are also improving their milk procurement network which is further facilitating the development of the dairy industry in India. Looking forward, the market is expected to reach a value of INR 25,491 Billion by 2025, exhibiting a Compounded Annual Growth Rate of around 16% during 2020-2025.
GOVT. INITIATIVES
The Government of India has thus also introduced many schemes and incentives aimed at the development of the dairy sector in the country. The National Dairy Programme aims to improve cattle productivity and increase the production of milk expanding and strengthening and expanding the rural milk procurement infrastructure and provide greater market access to the farmers. In this times of Pandemic, a fiscal stimulus of rupees 15,000 crore by the name of Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund to support private investment in dairy processing, value addition and cattle feed infrastructure has been announced. Another 13, 343 crore has been sanctioned to achieve 100% vaccination of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig population (total 53 crore animals) against Brucellosis and Foot and Mouth disease.
The ‘National Milk Day’ is a day that highlights the importance of the dairy product and how we can include it in our daily diet. The Day provides an opportunity to focus attention on milk and to publicize activities connected with milk and the milk industry. On this all important day, all our efforts should be to increase public awareness about every aspect of natural milk such as the origin, nutritional value of milk and its products, and its economic importance throughout the world.
(The author writes regularly on agriculture and social issues; can be reached at [email protected])
