Current Problems and Challenges Confronting the Dairy Industry in India

For the Indian Dairy Industry, efforts need to be directed to accelerating the pace of application and adoption of modern technologies to improving productivity, and to reducing costs of operations and ensure greater availability of milk and milk products. To attain this, national development programs need to be dove tailed with state Governments programmes on animal husbandry and dairying, poverty alleviation programmes, R&D strategies, Agricultural Universities and other developmental agencies. Infrastructure needs to be strengthened for the improvement of milch breeds of cattle and buffaloes in context with the 14 agro-climatic zones of the country. Intensive financial and scientific inputs are needed to mechanise the processes for the manufacture of indigenous milk products. Scope is also indicated for the development of a new range of dairy products to meet the needs of the urban consumer for health, safety, convenience and shelf-life.