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In India, milk is obtained from cows, buffaloes, goats and from camels (in Rajasthan). The Indian Dairy Industry has acquired substantial growth from the Eighth Plan onwards. India’s milk output has not only placed the industry first in the world, but also represents sustained growth in the availability of milk and milk products. The dairy v sector is now the largest contributor in the agricultural sector to the nation’s GDP. The huge increase in milk supply through concerted efforts on a cooperative level is known as the White Revolution.
Operation Flood:
Success in raising the milk production is ascribed to the Operation Flood project.
In 1965, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was set up to promote, plan and organise dairy development through cooperatives. These cooperatives were envisaged as democratic institutions, owned and managed by rural producers and were sensitive to the producer’s demands. Basically, Anand model of dairy development was to be replicated in other parts. These cooperatives were also to provide consultancy services and set up dairy plants on a turnkey basis.
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The NDDB launched Operation Flood in 1970 with commodity gifts from the European Economic Community, which included skimmed milk powder and butter oil. Proceeds from the sale of these products were used to finance the operation. A multi-tiered cooperative structure was established under the operation with Primary Village Cooperative Societies at the base, District Unions at the district level, and State Federations at the state level and the National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India as the apex body for milk cooperative societies.
Operation Flood is considered to be the world’s largest dairy development programme. Under this programme professionals were employed at every level, particularly in marketing and application, and science and technology. The central plank of the programme was to link the rural producers with urban consumers.
These cooperatives undertake procurement, testing, storage and transport of milk; production of a range of milk products; marketing of milk and milk products. They also provide support facilities like balanced cattle feed, health services, artificial insemination and veterinary treatment backed by research in production, processing and marketing. A brief survey of the phases of Operation Flood is given below.
Phase-l:
It started in July 1970 and ended in 1981. The objective was to set up dairy cooperatives in 18 milk sheds in ten states, so as to link them with the four best metropolitan markets of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. By the end of Phase-l, there were 13,000 village dairy cooperatives covering 15 lakh farmer families.
Phase-2:
It covered the Sixth Plan period from 1981 to 1985. It was designed to build on the foundations of Phase-l and on the IDA assisted dairy development programmes in Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. By the end of Phase-2, there were 136 milk sheds, 34,500 village dairy cooperatives covering 36 lakh members.
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Phase-3:
It started in 1985 and its emphasis was on consolidating the gains of the earlier phases by improving productivity and efficiency of the cooperative dairy sector and its institutional base for long term sustainability. This phase came to an end in April 1996. By September 1996, about 73,300 dairy cooperative societies had been organised in 170 milk sheds involving over 9.4 million farmer members.
Outstanding Results:
1. The milk production in India increased from a level of 17 MT in 1950- 51 to about 100.9 MT at the end of 2006-07, i.e. at the end of the Tenth Plan.
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2. The per capita availability of milk increased to about 246 gm per day in 2006-07 from a level of 124 gm per day in 1950-51.
3. Imports of milk solids have ended. India has also started exporting milk powder to some countries now.
4. Dairy industry and infrastructure have been expanded and modernised. A Milk Grid has been activated to offset regional and seasonal imbalances in milk production. A stable structure is now present to protect against political instability.
5. About ten million small farmers in 70,000 villages are earning jointly an incremental income of more than Rs 2000 crore, and more than 60 per cent of the milk procurement for Operation Flood comes from small, marginal farmers and the landless.
6. Most of the dairy needs are met indigenously.
7. Genetic improvement of milch animals has been made possible by cross-breeding.
Problems of Dairy Industry in India:
1. Because of small holdings and scattered milk production, the collection and transportation of milk, in good quality, to markets is difficult. This leads to an inefficient utilisation of milk products.
2. Because of unhygienic production, handling conditions and high temperatures, the quality of milk is adversely affected.
3. Because of inadequate marketing facilities, most of the marketable surplus is sold in the form of ghee which is the least remunerative of all milk products.
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4. Crude methods for milk collection and production are used, which have low productivity.
5. The Indian cows and buffaloes are generally low yielding and non-descript because of the lack of healthy cattle-feed and fodder, tropical heat and diseases. It has been observed that the milk production per animal is higher where balanced mixed farming is practised, and the best milch animals are found where there is prosperous agriculture, where fodder, cereal, oilseed byproducts and crop residue are available and where the pressure on land is comparatively lower