The Journey of Milk Production in India

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• What is the History of Milk Production in India?
• White Revolution
• What is the Present Status of Milk Production in India?
• Trends in Milk Production in India
• Top Milk Producing States in India
• What are the Factors Responsible for High Milk Production in India?
• What are the Government Initiatives for Milk Production?
• What are the Challenges and the Way Forward?

Introduction

The dairy sector in India plays a key role in boosting Indian economy and the development of rural households. India is the largest milk-producing country. Dairy farming here is a major source of income for millions of families. It employs a large number of small and marginal farmers who depend on it for their livelihoods.

What is the History of Milk Production in India?

India was a milk-deficient country during the 1950s and 1960s. There was negative annual production growth for many years, and a huge reliance on imports. The survival of the Indian dairy industry was tough. The annual milk production stood below 21 million tonnes by 1970, even though India had the world's largest cattle population.

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was formed in 1965 after the late PM Lal Bahadur Shastri's visit to Gujarat. It put forward the Operation Flood (OF) programme to create an Anand Pattern for dairy cooperatives nationwide.

This pattern facilitated a cooperative structure that included the Dairy Cooperative Societies (DCSs) at the village level. These DCSs had to promote district-level unions, which had to promote the state-level marketing federation.

White Revolution

India started this moment in1970 to boost milk production across the country by adopting the Anand Pattern model from Gujrat.

Amul, who came in1946, was a group of local farmers working together. Their success led to White Revolution and made India the world’s largest producer of milk.

The first chairman of NDDB was Dr Verghese Kurien, who is also called the father of White Revolution in India. He organised the Anand-pattern model to procure milk from sheds and supply it to cities. Thus, National Milk Day is held on 26th November to celebrate the birth of Dr Kurien.

White Revolution created a national network to supply quality milk in over 700 towns and cities. It also eliminated middlemen which reduced seasonal price changes. Also, using a cooperative structure made producing and distributing milk much easier and more affordable.

Before the White Revolution, total milk production was 21.2 million tonnes. And milk consumption was 107 grams per person. But in 2024-25, milk production stands at 239.3 million tonnes. And per capita milk availability is 471 grams per day.

What is the Present Status of Milk Production in India?

The milk production in India for 2024-25 was 247.9 million tonnes contributing more than 25% to the global milk production. As a result, India is the number one producer of milk in the world. Further, the growth rate of milk production in India is way higher than the rest of the world. During 2014 – 2025 our average growth rate was 5.50% compared to world’s 2%.

Also, India exported 67,572.99 million tonnes of dairy products in 2022-23, worth Rs. 2,269.85 Crores. The top export destinations include Bhutan, the USA, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bangladesh.

Trends in Milk Production in India

The graph above shows the trends in milk production and per capita milk consumption from 2014-15. As shown, total milk production increased from 146.3 MT (2014-15) to 247.9 MT (2024-25). On the other hand, the milk per capita consumption increased from 319 grams per day to 485 grams per day in the same period.

Top Milk Producing States in India

These states contribute 16.21% to the country’s total milk production. According to the Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2024, the top 5 milk producing states in India account for around 54% of the country's total milk production. See the table below:

What are the Factors Responsible for High Milk Production in India?

• Increasing per capita income.
• Increasing urbanisation in India.
• Increased consumer base due to population growth.
• Government policies conducive to milk production.
• Use of advanced technologies like milk-testing kits.
• Production of highly productive cattle breeds.

By 2030, Indian families are expected to use 267 million tonnes of milk and milk products.

What are the Government Initiatives for Milk Production?

Farmers can benefit from different government schemes for dairy development in India. These plans focus on building and improving factories that process milk and manufacture dairy products. They also help formal dairy businesses process and sell more milk.

Other functions of government schemes include increasing sustainable milk production. They also provide a subsidy of up to 25% of the capital cost, subject to caps for various dairy activities under different schemes to raise milk production. These schemes include:

• Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF)
• National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD)
• Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM)

What are the Challenges and the Way Forward?

Milk production has a major role in economy by generating employment and meeting nutritional needs. Several factors, such as market demand and infrastructure development have boosted dairy farming in India.

Milk production in India has generally been impressive. However, it still faces challenges such as low productivity and quality issues. The government needs to focus on animal health to improve their productivity. This can be achieved through suitable feed and fodder. Genetics can also be enhanced to reduce risk of diseases.

Credit financing must also be easily available and accessible to small producers to help them upgrade their infrastructure. There is also a big scope for improvement in cold chain management and technology across value chain. These initiatives will also help resolve safety and quality issues in milk production.