Dairy sector key shock absorber for rural livelihoods: NABARD chief
Dairy’s role in climate resilience and rural prosperity highlighted
Amid the ongoing academic fortnight celebrations leading to the 22nd convocation of the ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), the prestigious Dr KK Iya Memorial Oration was held at the Dr D Sundaresan Auditorium.
Presiding over the function, NDRI Director Dr Dheer Singh welcomed the chief guest, Dr Shaji Krishnan V, Chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
Homage was paid to Dr KK Iya, NDRI’s visionary Director from 1957 to 1965, former Dairy Development Adviser to the Government of India, Deputy Director General at ICAR and an FAO expert. The tribute was marked by the traditional lighting of the lamp and a floral homage.
Delivering the oration on “Climate Risk and Rural Livelihoods: Strengthening Dairy as a Shock-Absorber for Smallholders,” Dr Krishnan described India’s dairy sector as a major pillar of resilience for rural households.
He highlighted that India has emerged as the world’s largest milk producer, generating 248 million tonnes annually and accounting for nearly 25 per cent of global milk output. The sector recorded a 69 per cent rise in production between 2014 and 2025, maintaining an average annual growth rate of 5.7 per cent. During the same period, per capita milk availability increased by 48 per cent to 485 grams per day, compared to 124 grams in 1950-51.
Crediting the transformation to Operation Flood (1970-96) spearheaded by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) under the leadership of Dr Verghese Kurien, widely known as the Father of India’s White Revolution, Dr Krishnan outlined the sector’s extensive cooperative network. The system comprises 22 milk federations, 240 district unions and about 1.5 lakh cooperative societies spread across 2.3 lakh villages, with nearly 18 million farmer members. Women constitute 35 per cent of the membership and lead around 48,000 village-level dairy societies.
“Dairy is not just an industry; it is the backbone of rural India,” he said, adding that the sector contributes around 5 per cent to the national GDP, provides employment to more than 8 crore people and continues to grow at about 6 per cent annually.
Addressing the challenge of climate change, Dr Krishnan pointed to rising temperatures, erratic monsoons, droughts and floods as emerging threats to agriculture.
