White Revolution 2.0: Empowering India's Dairy Sector

Overview and Objectives

• Announced by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on September 19, 2024
• Builds upon Operation Flood (1970) that transformed India's dairy sector
• Aims to increase milk procurement of dairy cooperatives by 50% over five years
• Target: Increase daily milk procurement from 660 lakh kg to 1,007 lakh kg by 2028-29
• Focuses on expanding coverage and deepening reach of cooperatives
• Aims to provide market access to dairy farmers in uncovered areas
• Increase share of dairy cooperatives in the organized sector
• Generate employment and contribute to women's empowerment

Current State of India's Dairy Sector

• India is world's top milk producer (230.58 million tonnes in 2022-23)
• 1.7 lakh dairy cooperative societies cover 30% of villages
• Cooperatives procure 10% of country's milk production
• Coverage varies: high in Gujarat, Kerala, Sikkim; low in UP, Uttarakhand, MP
• Average yield: 8.55 kg/day (exotic/crossbred), 3.44 kg/day (indigenous)
• National per capita milk availability: 459 grams/day
• Top producers: UP (15.72%), Rajasthan (14.44%), MP (8.73%), Gujarat (7.49%), AP (6.70%)
• Milk contributes 40% (Rs 11.16 lakh crore) to agriculture sector output
• Provides livelihoods to 8.5+ crore people, majority being women

Implementation Strategy

• National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to lead implementation
• Plan to establish 56,000 new multipurpose dairy cooperative societies
• Strengthen 46,000 existing village-level dairy cooperative societies
• Focus on states with low coverage: UP, Odisha, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh
• Pilot project launched in February 2023 in Haryana, MP, and Karnataka
• Funding through National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) 2.0
• Financial assistance for village-level milk procurement systems
• Support for chilling facilities, training, and capacity-building
• Rs 40,000 per Multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Society

Expected Impact and Challenges

• Increase market access for dairy farmers in uncovered areas
• Boost rural economy and enhance farmers' income
• Empower women through increased participation in cooperatives
• Address regional disparities in dairy sector development
• Improve milk yield and quality through better infrastructure and training
• Challenges: Uneven coverage across states, low yield per animal
• Need to balance increased production with sustainable practices
• Potential to further solidify India's position as global dairy leader