Even after the milk output of buffaloes declined by 16 per cent annually, India’s milk production registered a growth of 5.62 per cent over the past ten years to reach 239.30 million tonne (MT) during 2023-24, as per the data from the Centre. The total milk production in the country was 146.3 MT in 2014-15.
Offering insights into livestock and dairy stock trends, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, the Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying released the annual publication of ‘Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2024’ (BAHS 2024) on the occasion of National Milk Day. The report stated that the production has increased by 3.78 per cent during 2023-24 over the estimates of 2022-23.
The milk output of India stood at 230.58 MT in 2022-23. As per the trends, the annual growth rate has slowed down in the past two fiscal years. In 2017-18, the growth rate was 6.62 per cent, while it was 6.47 per cent in FY19. The growth rate in FY20 and FY21 was 5.69 per cent and 5.81 per cent, respectively, However, the growth declined to 5.77 per cent in FY22 and to 3.83 per cent and 3.78 per cent in FY23 and FY24, respectively.
Emphasising the pivotal role of the dairy sector in the Indian economy, the Union Minister stated that dairy is the single largest agricultural commodity, contributing 5 per cent to the national economy and directly employing more than 8 crore farmers, the majority of whom are women.
“India is ranked 1st in milk production, contributing 24 per cent of global milk production, with milk production reaching 230.58 million tonne in 2022-23. India’s per capita milk availability stands at 459 grams per day in 2022-23, significantly higher than the world average of 323 grams per day in 2022,” he stated.
The top five milk producing States during 2023-24 were Uttar Pradesh with a share of 16.21 per cent of total milk production followed by Rajasthan (14.51 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (8.91 per cent), Gujarat (7.65 per cent) and Maharashtra (6.71 per cent). In terms of annual growth rate (AGR), the highest AGR recorded by West Bengal (9.76 per cent) followed by Jharkhand (9.04 per cent), Chhattisgarh (8.62 per cent) and Assam (8.53 per cent) over the previous year.
