Uttar Pradesh Sets Record; Tops in Milk Production

Uttar Pradesh has set a record for milk production in the country. Milk production has been steadily increasing in the state. According to the official spokesman, UP milk production was 277.697 lakh metric tonnes in 2016-17, increasing to 318,630 lakh tonnes in 2019-20.  The state has produced 1,242.37 lakh tonnes of milk in the past four years.

The increase in milk production also appears to boost employment in Uttar Pradesh. Over the past four years, six large companies, including Amul, have invested Rs.172 crore in dairy projects. Seven other companies are also keen to invest here. In addition, 15 investors offered to assemble their units.

Investment in the dairy sector has created large-scale employment opportunities in rural areas of the state. People continue to enter the milk trade by raising cows and buffaloes. According to official data, Uttar Pradesh transports 17% of India's total milk production from here to the country.

The government is also preparing to promote milk production in the state. The state government is setting up conservation of milch animals and green field dairies. Officials said greenfield diaries are being set up in Lucknow, Kanpur, Meerut, Varanasi, Kannauj, Bareilly, Ayodhya, Firozabad, Gorakhpur and Moradabad districts of UP.

Also, four dairies are being upgraded in Aligarh, Noida, Jhansi and Prayagraj.

The Yogi Adityanath government has sanctioned 272 crore rupees to establish dairy cow protection centers in all districts of the state. The government’s actions have led to elaborate arrangements to protect and maintain extremely poor and unclaimed cows.

Rajasthan ranks second while Andhra Pradesh ranks third.

The survey stated that the country's milk production increased from 146.3 million tons in 2014-15 to 198.4 million tons in 2019-20. According to government data, it has risen by 5.70% compared to 2018-19.