Our scientists have also prepared indigenous vaccine for Lumpy Skin Disease:Modi
• Anil Mathur
New Delhi 12 Sep.The Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi inaugurated International
Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit (IDF WDS) 2022 organised at India Expo
Centre & Mart, Greater Noida, today.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister expressed happiness
that all the dignitaries from the world of dairy have assembled in India today.
The Prime Minister said that the World Dairy Summit is going to be a great
medium for the exchange of ideas. “The potential of the dairy sector not only
gives impetus to the rural economy, but is also a major source of livelihood
for crores of people across the world”, he said.
The Prime Minister underlined the centrality of ‘Pashu Dhan’ and
milk-related business in the cultural landscape of India. This has given the
dairy sector of India many unique characteristics. The Prime Minister pointed
out that unlike other developed countries of the world, the driving force of
the dairy sector in India is small farmers. India's dairy sector is
characterized by "production by masses" more than "mass
production". India is the largest milk-producing country on the basis of
the efforts of these small farmers with one, two or three cattle. This sector
provides employment to more than 8 crore families in the country, he informed.
Explaining the second unique characteristic of the Indian dairy
system, the Prime Minister reiterated that there is such a huge network of
Dairy Cooperative in India, and one cannot find such an example in the whole
world elsewhere. Shri Modi said that these dairy cooperatives collect milk
twice a day from about two crore farmers in more than two lakh villages in the
country and deliver it to the customers. The Prime Minister drew everyone’s
attention to the fact that there is no middleman in the entire process, and
more than 70 per cent of the money that is received from the customers goes
directly into the pockets of the farmers. “No other country has this ratio in
the whole world”, the Prime Minister added. He also underlined the efficiency
of the digital system of payment in the dairy sector and said that it has many
lessons for other countries.
Another unique feature, according to the Prime Minister, is the
indigenous breeds that can withstand many adverse circumstances. He gave the
example of the sturdy buffalo breed of Banni Buffalo of the Kutch region of
Gujarat.He also talked about other buffalo
breeds such as Murrah, Mehsana, Jafrabadi, Nili Ravi, and Pandharpuri; among
the cow breeds, he mentioned Gir, Sahiwal, Rathi, Kankrej, Tharparker and
Haryana.
As another unique characteristic, the Prime Minister highlighted
the power of women in the dairy sector, the Prime Minister pointed out that
women have a 70% representation in the workforce in India's dairy sector.
“Women are the real leaders of India's dairy sector”, he added, “Not only this,
more than a third of the members of dairy cooperatives in India are women.” He
said at more than eight and a half lakh crore rupees, the dairy sector is more
than the combined value of wheat and rice. This is all driven by the women
power of India.
The Prime Minister underlined that the government has worked
relentlessly to enhance the potential of India's dairy sector since 2014. This
has led to an increase in milk production thereby leading to an increase in the
income of farmers. “India produced 146 million tonnes of milk in 2014. It has
now increased to 210 million tonnes. That is, an increase of about 44 per
cent”, the Prime Minister pointed out. He also mentioned that as compared to
the 2 per cent production growth at the global level, India is clocking the
milk production growth rate at more than 6 per cent.
The Prime Minister said that the government is working on
developing a blanched dairy ecosystem where challenges of the sectors are being
addressed along with a focus on increasing production. Extra income for the
farmers, empowerment of the poor, swachhta, chemical-free farming, clean energy
and care of the cattle is interlinked in this ecosystem. He stressed that
animal husbandry and dairy are being promoted as a powerful medium of green and
sustainable growth in the villages. Schemes like Rashtriya Gokul Mission,
Goberdhan Yojna, Digitization of dairy sector and universal vaccination of
cattle along with steps like banning single-use plastic, are steps in that
direction.
Stressing the use of modern technology, the Prime Minister said
that India is building the largest database of dairy animals and every animal
associated with the dairy sector is being tagged. “We are doing biometric
identification of animals. We have named it - Pashu Adhar”, he said.
Mr Modi also stressed the growing entrepreneurial structures
like FPAs and women self-help groups, and startups. He said that the sector has
seen more than 1000 startups in recent times. He also talked about the strides
in Gobardhan Yojna and said that aim is to reach a situation where dairy plants
produce their own electricity from Gobar. The resulting manure will help the
farmers also.
Drawing an analogy to farming, the Prime Minister said that
animal husbandry and farming require diversity, and monoculture might not be
the only solution. The Prime Minister stressed that today, India is paying
equal attention to both indigenous breeds and hybrid breeds. He further
elaborated that it will also reduce the risk of damage caused by climate
change.
The Prime Minister addressed another major problem that is
affecting the income of farmers which is the diseases of animals. “When the
animal is sick it affects the life of the farmer, affecting his income. It also
affects the efficiency of the animal, the quality of its milk and other related
products”, he added. The Prime Minister emphasised that in this direction,
India is working toward universal vaccination of animals. “We have resolved
that by 2025, we will vaccinate 100% of the animals against Foot and Mouth
Disease and Brucellosis. We are aiming to be completely free from these
diseases by the end of this decade”, the Prime Minister remarked.
The Prime Minister observed that there has been a loss of
livestock in many states of India due to the disease named Lumpy in the recent
past and assured everyone that the central government, along with various state
governments, is trying their level best to keep a check on it. “Our scientists
have also prepared indigenous vaccine for Lumpy Skin Disease”, the Prime
Minister added. The Prime Minister also pointed out that efforts are being made
to track the movement of animals to keep the outbreak under control. Be it
vaccination of animals or any other modern technology, the Prime Minister said
that India is always eager to contribute to the field of dairy while striving
to learn from its partner nations. “India has acted swiftly on its food safety
standards”, Shri Modi added.
In concluding the address, the Prime Minister reiterated that
India is working on a digital system which will capture the end-to-end
activities of the livestock sector. This will provide accurate information
needed to improve this sector. This summit will put forward the work that is
being done around the world regarding many such technologies. The Prime
Minister also urged everyone present to suggest ways to share the expertise
related to this field. “I invite the global leaders of the dairy industry to
join the drive to empower the dairy sector in India. I also appreciate the
International Dairy Federation for their excellent work and contribution”, the
Prime Minister concluded.
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mr Yogi Adityanath, Union
Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Mr Parshottam Rupala,
Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Dr L
Murugan, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing, Mr Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, Members of Parliament, Shri Surendra Singh Nagar and Dr
Mahesh Sharma, President of International Dairy Federation, Mr P Brazzale,
and Director General of International Dairy Federation, Ms Caroline Emond were
among those present on the occasion. 75 lakh farmers got connected with the
event through technology.