India's Dairy Industry Faces Trade and Modernization Challenges

“After milking, the udder pores remain open. The animal could get infected in a dirty shed. Once infection sets in, they take months to recover and milk output drops.”

“His father still believes growing paddy should be the main source of income and is against expanding the dairy business, despite dairy making more money.”

“In the mid-1990s, India allowed a small portion of edible oil to be imported. Cheap imports came in and Indian farmers stopped growing oil seeds and today, we import 65% of our needs.”

“Operation Flood also made India the largest producer of milk in the world accounting for 26% of the global output.”

“All we need to do is to get more from less. In other words, get more milk from fewer cows.”

“We are no match for them.”

“They do not follow any modern practices when it comes to herd and feed management.”

“In the US, the average herd size is 300. In India, it is just three to four cows.”

“I want to add another five cows and eventually take the milk output to 200 litres.”

“It is not surprising that the world wants access to the biggest and fastest growing dairy market.”

“Allowing duty free imports will see flooding of cheap products. This will hurt milk procurement. Farmers will shift away from the dairy sector. This will compromise India’s self-sufficiency and milk prices will start rising.”

“Three years ago, Indian exports happened at break-even price levels. Now, Indian brands are beginning to get good margins. It is clear evidence that they are becoming competitive in a market dominated by global brands. India is set to become a prime player in the global dairy sector.”