World Milk Day 2025 | 06 Jun 2025

Source: TH 

Why in News? 

World Milk Day is celebrated to highlight the nutritional, economic, and environmental significance of milk, as well as the role of the dairy industry in the economy. 

• Established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2001, World Milk Day 2025 is themed “Let’s Celebrate the Power of Dairy,” highlighting dairy’s role in nutrition, rural livelihoods, economic growth, and sustainability. 

What is the Current Status of Milk Production in India? 

• Global Ranking: India has been the world’s top milk producer since 1998, now producing 25% of global milk. Between 2014-15 and 2023-24, milk production rose 63.56%, from 146.3 million tonnes to 239.2 million tonnes. 
  • In 1950-51, India produced less than 21 million tonnes of milk annually. 
• Top Milk-Producing States: As per the Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics (BAHS) 2024, top 5 Milk producing States are Uttar Pradesh (16.21%), Rajasthan (14.51%), Madhya Pradesh (8.91%), Gujarat (7.65%), Maharashtra (6.71%).  
• Per Capita Availability of Milk: In 2023-24, the per capita availability of milk was over 471 grams of milk daily, well above the world average of 322 grams.  
• Milk Production by Animal Type: 

What is the Significance of the Dairy Industry in India? 

• Backbone of Rural India: Dairy industry contributes over 6% to the country’s GDP and supports the livelihoods of over 80 million dairy farmers. Around 12-14% of agricultural income comes from dairying. 
• Nutritional Security: At 471 grams/day (vs. global average of 322 grams), milk is a critical protein source, especially in vegetarian diets. 
  • Dairy provides calcium, Vitamin B12, and high-quality protein, addressing deficiencies like anemia and stunting.  
• Women Empowerment: India’s dairy industry sees strong female participation, with 35% women in cooperatives and 48,000 women-led societies, driving inclusive growth and rural empowerment. 
• Supports Integrated Farming: India’s large livestock population (around 303.76 million bovines and 74.26 million goats) supports integrated farming by providing manure for crop fertilization, enhancing soil fertility, and enabling biogas production for energy. 
• Sustainability & Climate Resilience: The Gobar-Dhan scheme boosts farmers' income by converting cattle dung and agricultural waste into bio-CNG and organic fertilizers for commercial sale, creating an additional revenue stream.  
  • It reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers, lowers input costs, and promotes waste-to-wealth practices—supporting clean energy, emission reduction, rural entrepreneurship, and economic resilience. 
• Future Growth: White Revolution 2.0 aims to boost milk procurement by cooperatives from 660 to 1,000 lakh litres per day, targeting 100 million kg daily by year five.  
  • It focuses on milk production, women’s empowerment, and combating malnutrition. 

What are the Challenges in the Dairy Industry in India? 

• Environmental & Climate Pressures: Heatwaves may reduce milk yields by 10–30%, especially in northern states, which contribute 30% of India’s total milk production, posing a significant threat to the dairy sector’s productivity and income stability.  
• Rising Production Costs: Quality cattle feed prices have surged by 246% over the last 30 years, while milk prices have only increased by 68%, reducing profit margins for farmers. 
• Productivity Challenges: India's dairy productivity is low, with 50 million cows and 40 million buffalo in 2014 producing 140 million tons of milk.  
• Disease Outbreaks & Animal Health: Recent outbreaks like Lumpy Skin Disease (2022–23) led to a 10% drop in milk output, while mastitis causes annual losses of Rs 14,000 crore.  
  • Heatwaves and humidity fuel diseases like haemorrhagic septicaemia, with treatment costs eroding farmers’ incomes. 
• Unorganised Sector Dominance: Only 28% of milk in India is handled by the organised sector, including cooperatives, while over 70% remains in the unorganised sector. 
  • This results in poor quality control, lack of cold chain infrastructure, and limited market and credit access for small producers. 
• Threat to Indigenous Breeds: Crossbreeding boosts productivity, but over-reliance on crossbred cattle risks the survival of native breeds. 
  • With Kerala leading at 96% and a national average of 30% in crossbreed adoption, conserving indigenous breeds is vital for biodiversity, disease resistance, and sustainable dairying. 
• Marketing and Misleading Narratives: Marketing hype around A2 milk (opposed to A1 milk) may unfairly criticize crossbred cows, which produce 30% of India’s milk, despite little scientific proof. 
  • A1 and A2 milk differ by a small genetic change in beta-casein protein.  

What can be Done to Improve the Dairy Industry in India? 

• Genetic Refinement: The introduction of sex-sorted (SS) semen can increase the likelihood of female calves from high-yield breeds like Kankrej and Gir boosting the number of future milk-producing cows. 
  • Sex-sorted (SS) semen allows for the production of offspring of a desired sex e.g., only female calves. 
• Embryo Transfer (ET) Technology: ET technology can boost the productivity of high-genetic-merit (HGM) cows by producing multiple embryos for implantation into surrogate cows.  
  • This allows a single HGM cow to produce up to 12 calves per year, compared to just 5-7 calves in a lifetime through normal breeding. 
• Improved Diet Quality: Feeding easily digestible forages like legumes and grains shortens fermentation time, reducing methane production. Certain feed additives can directly block methane-producing microbes. 
  • E.g., Amul is setting up Total Mixed Ration (TMR) plants, which will produce affordable ready-to-eat fodder mixes consisting of maize, jowar, and oat grass for animals. 
• Climate-Resilient Breeds: Strengthen Rashtriya Gokul Mission to improve A2 milk-producing cattle (A2 milk is safer than A1), which are heat-resistant and produce low emission.   
• Adopt Technology & Digital Solutions: Deploy IoT collars and AI-based udder scanners to detect mastitis, and use automated milking machines to reduce contamination and labor costs. 
  • Implement the Bharat Pashudhan database with 12-digit livestock IDs to track health, breeding, and milk quality. 
• Strengthen Infrastructure & Cold Chains: Expand solar-powered chilling units to increase formal milk processing and upgrade village-level collection centers with quality-testing tools. 
  • Improve Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) standards to access global markets. 

Conclusion 

India's dairy sector, the world's largest, drives rural livelihoods, nutrition, and economic growth. However, climate change, low productivity, and disease outbreaks pose challenges. Leveraging technology (AI, sex-sorted semen), climate-resilient breeds, and organized infrastructure can boost sustainability. Strengthening schemes like Rashtriya Gokul Mission will ensure India retains its dairy leadership while addressing future risks.