Comply with quality norms to gain global edge, Paswan tells dairy industry

Speaking at the 52nd Dairy Industry Conference organised by the Indian Dairy Association North Zone, Paswan said India has the potential to position itself as the worlds dairy basket, capable of addressing global shortages through better organisation and strategic market channelling.

Union Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan on Thursday called upon the dairy industry to adhere to quality regulations, warning that non-compliance undermines market access and allows fraudulent players to thrive at the expense of honest businesses seeking international recognition. Speaking at the 52nd Dairy Industry Conference organised by the Indian Dairy Association (North Zone), Paswan said India has the potential to position itself as the world's dairy basket, capable of addressing global shortages through better organisation and strategic market channelling. ''Today, India has the capacity to present itself as a global basket. We just need to be more organised in this direction, channelised and move forward,'' Paswan said, asserting that the dairy sector has a crucial role in building a globally competitive India. The minister said while the government formulates policies - including resolving GST issues and promoting dairy processing through central schemes - it is the industry's responsibility to implement them and ensure quality products reach both domestic and international consumers. He emphasised the need for collective efforts across all dairy processing sectors to elevate product quality to global standards. ''Indian dairy products should not only meet international benchmarks but set them, securing a strong presence in global markets and households,'' Paswan said. Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying S P Singh Baghel highlighted India's remarkable progress, noting that milk production has surged 69.41 per cent over the past 11 years to reach 247.87 million tonnes in 2024-25. ''The annual growth is 6.31 per cent. The global growth rate is only 2 per cent. We have grown three times more than the world average,'' Baghel said, adding that India produces 25 per cent of the world's milk and ranks first globally in milk production. He attributed this sharp rise to the focused approach adopted after the creation of a separate ministry for the sector. Baghel also underscored the importance of animal welfare and technological initiatives such as Artificial Insemination (AI), IVF, and sex-sorted semen technology in enhancing productivity and strengthening the dairy ecosystem. On the inaugural day, an agreement was signed to host the World Dairy Summit in India in 2027, marking a significant milestone for the country's dairy sector. The conference aims to promote dairy entrepreneurship across rural India by empowering individuals to start and expand dairy businesses, thereby enhancing income opportunities and strengthening the rural economy.

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