India- The world's largest producer of milk

India- The world's largest producer of milk

Did you know that India is the world's largest producer of milk, contributing about 19% of the world's total milk production with over 187 million metric tonnes every year?

India's milk production, an agricultural product also called dairy milk, during the period 1950-51 was a measly 17 million tonnes which stands now at 187 million metric tonnes in 2019-20, mainly on account of the "Operation Flood" programme launched by the Government of India in 1970. India's milk output surpasses that of all the European Union countries combined, is followed by the US, China, Pakistan and Brazil. This is a unique record among the major milk producers as more than half of India's production is derived from water buffalo, rather than cattle. All this mass production is credited to its masses and this process has been rightly termed as the White Revolution. It is expected the production trend would reach a peak of 330 million tonnes by 2033. This dairy activity forms an essential part of the rural Indian economy, serving as an important source of employment and income. 

Records of sustained production also indicate that the per capita availability of milk in the country which was 130 gram per day during 1950-51 has increased to 374 gram per day in 2017-18 as against the world estimated average consumption of 294 grams per day during 2017. 

India's dairy herd which is also the largest in the world, has the biggest herds of both dairy cattle and water buffalo; bovine population is 302.79 Mn, which comprises of cattle, buffalo, mithun, and yak; out of this 192.49 is the cattle population as of 2019. 

Operation Flood, which made India the world's largest producer of dairy milk was launched on the 13th of January, 1970. It was the world's largest dairy development program and a landmark project of India's National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). This was achieved by adopting new and modern methods to hold and milk cows, changing the composition of animal feed for better adjustment to the condition, revision of different producer costs on a sliding scale, and adoption of foreign breeds of cows which gave higher yields.

However, it has been said that foreign breeds of hump less cows have contributed more to higher yields, than the much better quality of the milk produced by the Indian hump back cows (40 indigenous cattle breeds); the humpback bulls (which are also worshipped by Hindus) are stated to be under a state of extinction. Exotic cows (foreign breeds) across India had the highest yield of milk per animal at the rate of over 11.6 kilograms per day on an average as compared to 3.85 kilograms by indigenous cows.

Throughout the world, milk is produced as a food source for the young, all of its contents provide benefits for growth. The principal requirements are energy (lipids, lactose, and protein), biosynthesis of non-essential amino acids supplied by proteins (essential amino acids and amino groups), essential fatty acids, vitamins and inorganic elements, and water.

Narasipur Char