India is ranked first in milk production contributing 25 per cent of global milk production. Milk production is growing at annual growth rate of about 6% over the past nine years with per capita availability of 459 gram per day and is self-sufficient in meeting the domestic demand.
Government has taken various steps, one of which is Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) – is one of the flagship schemes of Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying launched under Prime Minister’s Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan stimulus package on June 24, 2020, and has been realigned with merger of Dairy Processing Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) and has been extended for next three years with a fund size of Rs 29110.25 crore.
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) is implementing the following schemes for raising the share of domestic dairy industry and helped in improving the dairy sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP:
i. Rashtriya Gokul Mission: – Aims for development and conservation of indigenous bovine breeds, genetic upgradation of bovine population and enhancing milk production and productivity of bovines.
ii. National Programme for Dairy Development: To enhance quality of milk and milk products and increase share of organised milk procurement.
iii. Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund: For creation/ modernisation of milk processing and value addition infrastructure, among others.
iv. Supporting Dairy Cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organisations engaged in dairy activities: To provide support in the form of interest subvention on working capital loans.
In addition, Government has also extended Kisan Credit Card (KCC) facility to animal husbandry & dairy farmers for their working capital requirements.
This information was given by Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh in a written reply in Rajya Sabha recently.
Source : FnB News
