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Young World
WORLD OF SCIENCE
The white revolution
DR. T. V. PADMA
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Operation Flood made India one of the largest producers of milk in the world.
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What does the “white revolution” refer to in India? Milk production was stagnant in India in the 1950s and 1960s.The Government wanted to increase milk production and improve its distribution in an attempt to alleviate poverty and mal-nutrition. For this, India received aid from the European countries
through the World Food Programme.
The Government expended the money in an innovative and intelligent manner. Instead of distributing the gifts of milk and dairy products free, milk powder was used to manufacture liquid milk and sell it. The funds thus generated were invested in a project termed “Operation Flood”. A National Milk grid was created, which linked milk producers throughout India. Milk production was encouraged through co-operatives of the milk producers. Dairy farmers benefited because they were not affected by seasonal and regional price fluctuations. The project was a huge success — it made India one of the largest producers of milk in the world. This was hailed as the “White Revolution”.
Three phases
The project was implemented in three phases. Phase one was from1970 to 1980.It covered eight of India’s major cities. Phase two was from 1980 to 1985. Milk sheds increased from 18 to 136.Urban markets expanded. There were 290 outlets. A self-sustaining system had been set up by the end of phase two. In phase three (between 1985 to 1996) there has been a further increase in milk co-operatives: 30,000 co-operatives have been added. The facilities have been expanded to provide veterinary care. Efforts are made to see that the cattle feed is of good quality. Research has been undertaken in the fields of animal breeding, animal health and nutrition.
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