The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit (IDF WDS) 2022 organised at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister underlined the centrality of ‘Pashu Dhan’ and milk-related business in the cultural landscape of India.

He pointed out that unlike other developed countries of the world, the driving force of the dairy sector in India is small farmers.

“India’s dairy sector is characterized by production by masses more than “mass production”. India is the largest milk-producing country on the basis of the efforts of these small farmers with one, two or three cattle. This sector provides employment to more than 8 crore families in the country,” he informed.

Explaining further, he said, “There is such a huge network of Dairy Cooperative in India, and one cannot find such an example in the whole world elsewhere.”

The Prime Minister drew everyone’s attention to the fact that there is no middleman in the entire process, and more than 70 per cent of the money that is received from the customers goes directly into the pockets of the farmers. Another unique feature, according to the Prime Minister, is the indigenous breeds that can withstand many adverse circumstances.

He gave the example of the sturdy buffalo breed of Banni Buffalo of the Kutch region of Gujarat.  He also talked about other buffalo breeds such as Murrah, Mehsana, Jafrabadi, Nili Ravi, and Pandharpuri; among the cow breeds, he mentioned Gir, Sahiwal, Rathi, Kankrej, Tharparker and Haryana.

In addition, the Prime Minister highlighted the power of women in the dairy sector where he pointed out that women have a 70% representation in the workforce in India’s dairy sector.

“Women are the real leaders of India’s dairy sector”, he said adding, “Not only this, more than a third of the members of dairy cooperatives in India are women.”

He said at more than eight and a half lakh crore rupees, the dairy sector is more than the combined value of wheat and rice. This is all driven by the women power of India.

Modi also mentioned that as compared to the 2 per cent production growth at the global level, India is clocking the milk production growth rate at more than 6 per cent.

The Prime Minister said that the government is working on developing a blanched dairy ecosystem where challenges of the sectors are being addressed along with a focus on increasing production.

He stressed that animal husbandry and dairy are being promoted as a powerful medium of green and sustainable growth in the villages.

Stressing the use of modern technology, the Prime Minister said that India is building the largest database of dairy animals and every animal associated with the dairy sector is being tagged.

“We are doing biometric identification of animals. We have named it – Pashu Adhar”, he said.

The Prime Minister stressed that today, India is paying equal attention to both indigenous breeds and hybrid breeds which will also reduce the risk of damage caused by climate change.

Talking about problem, Modi said, “When the animal is sick it affects the life of the farmer, affecting his income. It also affects the efficiency of the animal, the quality of its milk and other related products.”

The Prime Minister emphasised that in this direction, India is working toward universal vaccination of animals. “We have resolved that by 2025, we will vaccinate 100% of the animals against Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis. We are aiming to be completely free from these diseases by the end of this decade”, the Prime Minister remarked.

The Prime Minister observed that there has been a loss of livestock in many states of India due to the disease named Lumpy in the recent past and assured everyone that the central government, along with various state governments, is trying their level best to keep a check on it.

“Our scientists have also prepared indigenous vaccine for Lumpy Skin Disease”, the Prime Minister added.

The Prime Minister also pointed out that efforts are being made to track the movement of animals to keep the outbreak under control.

Modi invited global leaders of the dairy industry to join the drive to empower the dairy sector in India. “I also appreciate the International Dairy Federation for their excellent work and contribution”, the Prime Minister concluded.