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National Milk Day

Posted on November 27, 2021 by admin1  461

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National Milk Day is observed across India on November 26 in memory of the father of the white revolution, Dr Verghese Kurien. 

  • This year is also the birth centenary year of Dr Kurien.

About National Milk Day 

  • In the year 2014, the Indian Dairy Association (IDA) took the initiative to celebrate National Milk Day in India.
  • It provides a significant role in providing information related to the need and importance of milk in human life.

About Dr. Verghese Kurien

  • He was born on November 26, 1921, in present-day- Kozhikode, Kerala and played an instrumental role in making India the largest milk producer in the world.
  • He was the man behind Operation Flood which led to dairy farming becoming the country’s largest self-sustaining industry, as well as the largest rural employment sector. 
  • His ideas and contributions made him the ‘Father of the White Revolution and the ‘Milkman of India.’
  • Other Contributions
    • He also helped set up the Amul cooperative society in 1946, in Gujarat’s Anand.
    • In 1965, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri assigned Dr. Kurien to create the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). 
    • Dr Kurien also founded the Institute of Rural Management Anand(IRMA) in 1979 and managed the Delhi Milk Scheme by correcting the prices. 
  • Awards to honour him 
    • He was awarded various awards, like Padma Vibhushan (1999), the World Food Prize (1989), Krishi Ratna (1986), Padma Bhushan (1966), Padma Shri (1965), Ramon Magsaysay Award (1963), etc.

Milk Production in India 

  • India’s success story in milk production was scripted by Dr Verghese Kurien, known as the “Father of the White Revolution” in India
  • India’s milk production is growing by 35.61% during the last six years to 198.4 million tonnes in 2019-20.
    • The annual growth rate of milk production was 6.27 percent during 2014-15, thereafter, there was a steady increase.
    •  In 2019-20, milk production increased by 5.68 per cent as compared to the previous year.
    • The rural sector has an estimated share of 57 per cent in the total consumption.
  •   India accounts for over one-fifth of the global milk production. This is followed by the US, China, Pakistan and Brazil. 
  • India continues to be the largest producer of milk in the world.
    • Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab continued to be the major milk-producing states.

Challenges Faced By The Indian Dairy Sector

  • Shortage of feed/fodder
    • There is an excessive number of unproductive animals which compete with productive dairy animals in the utilisation of available feeds and fodder.  
    • The grazing area is being reduced markedly every year due to industrial development resulting in a shortage of supply of feed and fodder to the total requirement.
  • Education and Training
    • Lack of vigorous education and training programmes on good dairy practices in India mostly in rural areas.
  • Health
    • Veterinary health care centres are located in far off places. The ratio between cattle population and veterinary institution is wider, resulting in inadequate health services to animals.
  • Hygiene Conditions
    • Many cattle owners do not provide proper shelter to their cattle leaving them exposed to extreme climatic conditions which further leads to mastitis conditions.
  • High import duty
    • The constraints being faced in exports i.e market access issues in China, EU, South Africa and Mexico, high import duty charged by SAARC and neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh (35%) and Pakistan (45%).

Initiatives Related to the Dairy sector: Several measures have been initiated by the government to increase the productivity of livestock, which has resulted in increasing milk production significantly.

  • National Digital Livestock Mission(NDLM) 
    • It is a digital platform being developed jointly by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) and NDDB on the foundation of the existing Information Network for Animal Productivity and Health (INAPH).
      •  The bedrock of NDLM will be the unique identification of all livestock, which will be the foundation for all the state and national level programmes including domestic and international trade. 
  • National Livestock Mission
    • It is an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, introduced in 2014-15, with the objective of sustainable development of the livestock sector.
  • Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM): It was launched in December 2014 with an outlay of Rs 2025 crore for the development and conservation of indigenous breeds through selective breeding in the breeding tract and genetic up-gradation of nondescript bovine population.
  • The scheme comprises two components namely National Programme for Bovine Breeding (NPBB) and National Mission on Bovine Productivity (NMBP). 
  • National Dairy Plan Phase I (NDP I): It is a Central Sector Scheme of the Government of India, launched in March 2012. It  is a scientifically planned multi-state initiative being implemented by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) with the network of End Implementing Agencies (EIAs) for the period 2011-12 to 2018-19 with the following objectives:
    • Increase productivity of milch animals and thereby increase milk production to meet the rapidly growing demand for milk.
    • Provide rural milk producers with greater access to the organized milk processing sector.
  • National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) : It is a flagship scheme launched in September 2019 for control of Foot & Mouth Disease and Brucellosis by vaccinating 100% cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig population for FMD and 100% bovine female calves of 4-8 months of age for brucellosis in five years (2019-20 to 2023-24).
  • Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development (AHIDF): It  has been approved for incentivizing investments by individual entrepreneurs, private companies, MSME, Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs) and Section 8 companies to establish 
    • The dairy processing and value addition infrastructure.
    • Meat processing and value addition infrastructure.
    • Animal Feed Plant.
  • Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (DEDS): The Department of Animal Husbandry, dairying and fisheries is implementing Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (DEDS) for generating self-employment opportunities in the dairy sector, covering activities such as enhancement of milk production, procurement, preservation, transportation, processing and marketing of milk by providing back-ended capital subsidy for bankable projects. The scheme is being implemented by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
  • Pashu-Aadhar: It is a unique ID on a digital platform for traceability for the animals.
  • Gopal Ratna Award 2021: It is one of the highest National Awards in the field of livestock and dairy sector, with an objective to encourage all individuals and Dairy cooperative societies / Milk Producer Companies / Dairy farmers Producers Organizations working in this sector.

Operation Flood

  • It was the world’s biggest dairy development program which gave a major thrust to the milk production of the nation. 
  • Operation Flood also known as the White Revolution launched after witnessing the huge success of the Green Revolution that resulted in an immense increase in the production of wheat and rice. 
  • Launched in 1970, it was the brainchild of Dr Verghese Kurein. 
  • Objectives: Increase milk production (“a flood of milk”)
    • Augment rural incomes
    • Reasonable prices for consumers

 

  • Programme Implementation: Operation Flood was implemented in three phases.
  • Phase I (1970-1980)
    • It was financed by the sale of skimmed milk powder and butter oil gifted by the European Union then EEC through the World Food Programme. NDDB planned the programme and negotiated the details of EEC assistance.
      •  During its first phase, Operation Flood linked 18 of India’s premier milk sheds with consumers in India’s four major metropolitan cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.
      •  
  • Phase II (1981-85) 
    • Operation Flood’s Phase II (1981-85) increased the milk sheds from 18 to 136; 290 urban markets expanded the outlets for milk. By the end of 1985, a self-sustaining system of 43,000 village cooperatives covering 4.25 million milk producers had become a reality. Domestic milk powder production increased from 22,000 tons in the pre-project year to 140,000 tons by 1989, all of the increase coming from dairies set up under Operation Flood. In this way, EEC gifts and World Bank loans helped to promote self-reliance. Direct marketing of milk by producers’ cooperatives increased by several million litres a day.
  • Phase III (1985-1996)
    • Phase III (1985-1996) enabled dairy cooperatives to expand and strengthen the infrastructure required to procure and market increasing volumes of milk. Veterinary first-aid health care services, feed and artificial insemination services for cooperative members were extended, along with intensified member education.
    • Operation Flood’s Phase III consolidated India’s dairy cooperative movement, adding 30,000 new dairy cooperatives to the 42,000 existing societies organised during Phase II. Milksheds peaked at 173 in 1988-89 with the numbers of women members and Women’s Dairy Cooperative Societies increasing significantly.

Source: PIB

 
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