An Overview of Dairy Industry in India

Since time immemorial, milk has been universally recognized as the nutritive food of excellence. Its protective food characteristics and goodness make it wholesome for those who can afford it. Proteins constitute 3.2 and 4.3 percent of cow and buffalo milk respectively. Dairying is an important contributor to the agriculture output of our nation and it sets right the imbalance in employment of rural agricultural labour. India is the largest producer of milk in the world with 121.8 million tons in 2010-2011. Five Year Plans and Operation Flood programs contributed a lot for this achievement. India is exporting dairy products to United Arab Emirates,Nepal,Singapore etc. Production of milk and per capita availability of milk in India have increased progressively. Dairy Cooperatives are handling 12% of country's marketable milk surplus. With economic liberalization from 1991 onwards private dairies are making a remarkable progress. India should be not only the largest producer of milk but also the best in dairy products in near future. In India the largest producer of milk is Uttar Pradesh with 21,031 thousand tons followed by Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh with 13,234 and 11,203 thousand tons respectively.