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National Milk Day 2019

  • Category
    Economy
  • Published
    3rd Dec, 2019

November 26this celebrated as National Milk Day in India. This isn’t the same as World Milk Day, which is marked on June 1st, and was established by the Food and Agricultural Organisation.

Context

November 26this celebrated as National Milk Day in India. This isn’t the same as World Milk Day, which is marked on June 1st, and was established by the Food and Agricultural Organisation.

About

  • India celebrates National Milk Day on 26th November in memory of Dr Verghese Kurien, fondly known as the Father of White Revolution.
  • In 2014, all the dairy majors of the country, along with the Indian Dairy Association, resolved to observe Dr Kurien’s birth anniversary on 26th November as National Milk Day.
  • National Milk Day is celebrated to promote benefits related to milk and milk industry and to create awareness among people about the importance of milk and milk products.
  • India is celebrating 98th birth anniversary of Dr. Kurien this year.

History: Operation Flood and the White Revolution

  • In the year 1970, ‘Operation Flood’ was launched as a National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) project.
  • It transformed India from a milk-deficient nation into the world’s largest milk producer, surpassing the US in 1998.
  • It created a national milk grid linking producers throughout India with consumers in over 700 towns and cities, reducing seasonal and regional price variations while ensuring that the producer gets a major share of the price consumers pay, by cutting out middlemen.
  • All this was achieved not merely by mass production, but by production by the masses; the process has been called the white revolution. This is known as his ‘billion-litre idea’.

Significance of National Milk Day in 2019

  • India is world leader in milk production since last 15 years and the credit goes to small producers.
  • India has 108.7 million buffaloes, which makes 57% of the world buffalo population.
  • India is number one in bovine population with 18% of the world population and contributes 20% of the total milk produced in the world.
  • Indigenous breeds are tolerant to heat and resistant to diseases.
  • The indigenous breeds of cows are known to produce A2 type milk which protects us from various chronic health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and neurological disorders.

Why there is a need of New White Revolution?

  • Surplus production in India:From a chronic milk deficit country in 1950-51, with a production of 19 Million Ton per year (MMT), the production has increased to 176 MMT in 2017, and per capita availability of Milk has reached 375 grams per day. As Indian milk production has continued to grow rapidly, growth in Milk production has outstripped population growth.
  • Negligence of development of recognized Indian breeds: In White Revolution, the focus was on introduction of exotic cattle breeds like HF and jersey and producing their cross bred. Therefore the developments of recognized Indian breeds were largely neglected.
  • Adulteration of milk and rising demand for organic milk:
  • About 68 per cent of the milk produced in India is found to have adulterants like detergent, starch, urea and white paint.
  • Consumers are becoming more health conscious day by day which is fuelling growth for organic and natural milk products instead of milk from animals that are injected with growth hormones for more milk production and are full of antibiotics.

Therefore there is a need to have a re-look at the whole policy for Dairy sector and to take steps so that the interests of the Indian farmers and consumers are protected. 

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