New Delhi:The IDF World Dairy Summit 2022 is all set to commence on September 12 and will continue for four days till September 15 in Greater Noida. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the four-day global event where dairy farmers, cooperatives, and industry stakeholders will be showcasing and presenting their systems of dairy farming. The last time this summit was organized in India was 48 years ago in 1974.
Around 1,500 participants from 40 countries will be showcasing their work and achievements including around 800 Indian dairy farmers associated with cooperatives, 300 foreign delegates, and other industry stakeholders during the four-day summit which has three parallel sessions. “This will be a great opportunity as our Indian Dairy sector will get to know where are we on the international stage and also get a chance to showcase what we have special," said Purshottam Rupala, Union Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
"Our government has been paying special attention to promoting dairy farming and one of the examples is starting 6000 mobile veterinary units funded by the central government. Our dairy farmers will get International exposure through this summit,” Rupala added.
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India is the largest producer as well as consumer of milk in the world. As per the data presented by Meenesh Shah, Secretary Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. India produces 220 million metric tonnes of milk annually which is the largest in the world but when it comes to our position in export, it contributes less than 1% of the global supply.
“Globally we contribute to 26% of the total production of milk and we are the largest cattle-holding nation in the world. The compounded annual growth of the dairy sector in India is 6% whereas the world growth rate is only 2%. This event comes at a time when the nation is celebrating 75 years of Independence. We will be showcasing how far we have traveled in 75 years and where we target to reach in the next 25 years,” said Meenesh Shah.
Dairy farming contributes to 35% of the Agriculture GDP in India. However, the average size of dairy in India is very small constituting 2-3 animals per farmer. This average is around 425 in New Zealand, one of the largest in the world. Speaking on the small dairy holdings in India as compared to other countries, the Secretary said that this was due to the difference in conditions and land holding areas in different countries and India.
“In countries like New Zealand, they have large grazing areas where dairy farmers leave their cattle in the open to feed them but in India, our dairy farmers don’t have that much space. We do have large dairy farms with hundreds of cattle but when it comes to the average farm size it is small only,” he said. The summit will have specific sessions for nutrition and livelihood apart from the technical sessions. Nutrition and livelihood will be the theme of the four-day global summit being organized in collaboration with the International Dairy Federation.
