NDDB initiatives play significant role in country’s Dairy sector: Union Agriculture Minister

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh has said that the National Dairy Project (NDP) aims to increase the productivity of milch animals which will lead to increase in milk production for meeting growing demand for milk. He was addressing the gathering at the NDDB Dairy Excellence Awards organized at Anand, Gujarat on the foundation day of National Dairy Development Board.

The minister said that the productivity of milch animals is increasing through artificial insemination using high-quality semen taken from high genetic bulls and by proving balanced food to the animals of the farmers. To promote balanced diet for the effective use of input, NDP initiatives are helping farmers to increase production by lowering dietary (Ration) costs.

The country has been the world's largest producer of milk for the last two decades and its credit goes to the farmers of the country. Since more than two-thirds of our nation's citizens live in rural areas, therefore, there is a need to make the farmers more prosperous, for which dairy sector is important.

NDDB has implemented several major dairy development programs including 'Operation Flood' from its inception in the country. India is at number one in milk production and contributes 19 percent of the world's total milk production. Dairy farmers' income has increased by 13.79 percent in the year 2014-17 compared to the year-ago period.

Milk production, which was 155.49 million tonnes during 2015-16, is planned to increase it to 200 million tonnes in 2019-20. Presently, NDDB is in the leading role for the implementation of the National Dairy Plan (NDP) and the recently announced Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF). The Central Government has established dairy infrastructure development fund (DIDF) at the cost of Rs.10, 881 crore for the period from 2017-18 to 2028-29.