Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Milk demand may touch 180 million tonnes by 2021-22

MADURAI: The national demand for milk is expected to increase to 180 million tonnes per year by 2021-22 at the end of the 13th Plan. Milk production in the country last year was 105 million tonnes, with per capita consumption standing at 230 gm a day.

To meet the increase in demand, the annual growth must double to 5 million tonnes a year from the current levels of 2.5 million tonnes during the 10th Plan, according to N. Gokulram, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry, Union Ministry of Agriculture.

In an interview to The Hindu here on Thursday, he said if productivity did not commensurate with the demand, the country would have to depend on imports.

“A national dairy plan has been drawn up at an estimated cost of Rs.17,000 crore. It addresses the issues of production, productivity, fodder, procurement, processing and marketing,” he said.

Mr. Gokulram said the Department was looking at improving productivity by introducing new breeds and artificial insemination, conserving indigenous breeds, providing nutritional food and increasing processing capability.

Its flagship programme, the National Project for Cattle and Buffalo Breeding (NPCBB), focusses on ‘genetic upgradation’ and ‘conservation of indigenous breeds.’ The total allocation for this project, implemented in two phases of five years each, was Rs.1,500 crore. The first year of the second phase started last year, he said.

As for efforts to tackle the acute shortage of fodder, S. Rawla, Joint Secretary, said the Department had seven farms and one fodder seed production centre, which distributed inputs.

“This has to be a mass-based programme, in which the community has to participate in fodder production centres. Non-governmental organisations and self-help groups are encouraged, with a few States producing good results,” she said.

“We should also be requesting the States to take up conservation of indigenous breeds instead of concentrating on cross breeds, exotic and elite animals, as the former is better adapted to the local conditions…”

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