Capt. (Dr.) A.Y. Rajendra, CEO – Animal Feed Business, Godrej Agrovet
India scripted a remarkable turnaround to go from a milk deficit nation post-Independence to the largest producer of milk in the world today, but several systemic factors from low productivity to poor animal nutrition are threatening to undo the gains of the country’s so-called White Revolution.
Milk production in India grew at a paltry 1.64 percent in the first decade after Independence, according to government data. The rate of growth slowed to just 1.15 percent in the 1960s. Milk consumption per capita, meanwhile, at 124 grams per day in 1950-51 declined to just 107 grams per day by 1970, well below the minimum recommended nutritional standards.
India’s dairy industry was in shambles, producing less than 21 million tonnes of milk a year and dependent instead on costly imports.
Fast forward to today and the contrast is striking.
India today is the world’s largest milk producer accounting for nearly a quarter of global supply. In 2021 the country produced 210 million tonnes of milk, over 10 times more than the 17 million it produced 1951.
Per capita consumption, meanwhile, has surged from the 107-gram-per-day low in 1970 to 427 grams per day per person in 2021, surpassing even the global average of 322 grams per day.[1]
Production slowdown
To be sure, the numbers prove that the White Revolution has been nothing short of a resounding success. But, the momentum it unleashed is losing steam, growth is tapering off and milk production is easing.
India’s milk production has grown six percent a year on average over the last 10 years, outpacing the two percent global growth average. But, the rate of growth has been steadily moderating in recent years from 6.62 percent in FY2017-18 to 3.78 percent in FY2023-24. [2]
To put it simply, the original White Revolution has run its course. The dairy sector now needs a White Revolution 2.0 characterized by a more nuanced, scientific, technology-led, yet systemic, approach to regain its stride and win back its waning momentum.
Solving the productivity puzzle
India’s problem lies in the productivity of its cattle. The country in absolutely numbers is the world’s largest milk producer. It also has the largest cattle population. But, the country’s milk yields per animal are among the lowest in the world.
Cows in India, for instance, yield 4.87 kg of milk a day per animal, two-thirds that of the global average of 7.18 kg per day per animal.[3]
There are also vast regional disparities. Cows in Punjab and Kerala — two states held up as poster children for milk production — produced 13.31 kg and 9.96 kg of milk per day per animal, respectively. At the other end of the spectrum, cows in states like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya yielded just 1.49 kg, 1.67 kg and 1.73 kg of milk per animal per day, respectively.3
This underlines the scale of the productivity gains that India can unlock. To do so it needs to improve everything from animal nutrition, and genetics to cattle management, care and healthcare practices.
Production based pricing mechanism
One of the most pressing concerns is the lack of a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for milk. While milk is a staple produced by millions of farmers across the country, they are often left to navigate volatile market prices, which can lead to inconsistent incomes and financial instability. This lack of price assurance has left many farmers vulnerable, making it crucial for the government to introduce a production-based pricing mechanism. Such a system would provide farmers with a guaranteed income and ensure that they are not pushed into losses.
Similarly, it is important to acknowledge that a significant portion of the dairy sector – around 70% – is handled by women. These women play a crucial role in milk production and dairy farming, yet they too face economic challenges due to the absence of price guarantees. By introducing MSP specifically tailored for dairy, the government could uplift these women, ensuring a fair and consistent income, while simultaneously strengthening the dairy sector.
Systemic overhaul
Nutrition is the single biggest key to unlocking productivity gains. But India produces limited feed, just 7.5 million tonnes as opposed to its requirement of 70 million tonnes.[4]
A key reason is because fodder is scarce with the country facing significant shortages of both green and dry fodder. It thus needs to turn to silage. Silage can play an important role in ensuring animals get the right nutrition, so much so that the American USDA estimates that good quality silage can fulfill as much as half of a cow’s energy needs.
The approach to nutrition also needs to be scientifically calibrated and tailored to the specific lactation stages so that the animal gets the right nutrients at the right time during the different lactation phases. Nutrition also needs to be fine-tuned to cater to the specific needs of individual breeds and local climatic conditions.
Genetics also have a crucial role to play in productivity. Crossbred cows yield more milk. In fact, a large part of Punjab’s success with boosting productivity is down to increasing the share of crossbred animals in its livestock mix.
Modern, technology-led approaches like embryo transfer and the use of sex-sorted semen and artificial insemination can further improve breeding outcomes, enhance genetic stock and increase the likelihood of female calves, who can then go on to produce milk, being born.
Nutrition and breeding are fundamental to improving yield productivity. But, even as they lay the foundation for higher yields, proper animal care, management and access to modern veterinary medicine are key to delivering on their promise.
Regular veterinary care, vaccination and early disease treatment will result in a healthy more productive herd and mitigate production losses from disease like lumpy skin disease.
Prioritizing cattle comfort by maintaining well-kept surroundings, proper temperatures using cooling systems in the summers and heating systems in winters is vital to animal well-being, which in-turn is crucial to productivity.
Digitization, like in other aspects of agriculture also has a role to play. Digitization generates data. Data empowers. It empowers cattle farmers with vital information on animal nutrition, healthcare and wellbeing. This data can be harnessed and, using modern technology like predictive analytics or machine learning, can help farmers take proactive actions that can mitigate any yield losses from illness, a lack of nutrition or general animal neglect, before it is too late.
To be sure, the government has recognized acknowledged the need to boost per capita yields. The Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) has made significant progress on the genetics front. The government’s Rs. 15,000 crore dairy infrastructure fund, meanwhile, is placing an emphasis on sector modernization. India’s gains in the dairy sector have been hard won. It would be a shame to squander them. The White Revolution helped the dairy industry tap its vast potential and opened the floodgates for milk production in the country. It made us not just a self-sufficient milk producer but an export powerhouse. We now need to build on these gains. What we need is a second revolution to spark an even more transformative change.
[2] India’s Milk Production Increases By 4% To 239.3 Million Tonnes In 2023-24
[3] India’s White Revolution: Achievements and the next phase
[4] Detailed project report on Cattle-feed unit