Boasting the remarkable and transformative history of India’s dairy sector, the government of India has expanded its milk production gradually. With a CAGR of 1.64% in the 1950s and 1.15% in the 1960s government strengthened its position slowly after milk shortage in the decades after independence. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was founded in 1965, with Dr. Verghese Kurien as its first chairman—known as the “Father of the White Revolution.” Operation Flood was undertaken by the NDDB to replicate the Anand Pattern of dairy cooperatives nationwide. The dairy industry grew and became self-sufficient thanks to this strategy. Since its inception in 1965 to till date, the government has been continuously working to strengthen the sector with government launching several projects to boost the sector.
The projected CAGR by the Govt. of India for the dairy sector is:
| DAIRY PRODUCTS | PROJECTED CAGR (2025-2030) |
| Milk | 5.5% |
| Ghee | 5.2% |
| Curd | 6.8% |
| Yoghurt | 11.0% |
| Ice Cream | 9.8% |
| Cheese | 13.5% |
| Paneer | 7.8% |
| Flavoured milk | 9.0% |
India Leads the Dairy Sector
With 25% of worldwide milk output, India is the top producer leading the dairy sector. Milk production in India rose 58% from 2014-15 to 2022-23, reaching 230.58 million tonnes. Milk production has grown 6% annually for a decade. Top 5 milk-producing states are: Uttar Pradesh (15.72%); • Rajasthan (14.44%); • Madhya Pradesh (8.73%); • Gujarat (7.49%); • Andhra Pradesh (6.70%). The leading 5 states produce 53.08% of India’s milk. India exported 63,738.47 MT of dairy products worth $272.64 million in 2023-24, demonstrating the global relevance of dairy sector.
Recently PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stones for livestock and dairy projects worth Rs 1166 crore. The first Livestock IVF Lab in the Northeast was inaugurated in Guwahati, Assam, to boost dairy development and breed improvement. Other major dairy infrastructure projects were also inaugurated under the National Programme for Dairy Development, including plants in Mehsana, Indore, Bhilwara, and Telangana.