Page 4 - Dairy Dimension - July Aug 25
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| Volume 1 | Issue 5 | July-Agu 2025                        MARKET UPDATE                                                                                                 | Volume 1 | Issue 5 | July-Agu 2025


          GST Reset: A Defining Moment                                                                                            Crucially, these reforms arrive ahead of the
                                                                                                                                  festive season – traditionally a peak period for
                                                                                                                                  ghee, paneer, and sweet-making ingredients.
          for India's Dairy Sector                                                                                                For organised players, this is an opportunity to
                                                                                                                                  consolidate market share from the fragmented
                                                                                                                                  unorganised sector.
                                                                                                                                  Outlook: Towards Inclusive Growth
           A Structural Shift in Taxation                      emphasised the dual benefit:
                                                                                                                                  The GST reset should be seen as more than
           On 3 September 2025, the Goods and Services Tax (GST)   “This move makes commonly consumed items more
           Council ushered in a landmark reform for India's food   affordable in price-sensitive areas, while also giving         fiscal policy. It is a lever for:
           and dairy industry. The new structure rationalises the   farmers better income stability and the confidence to         ·   Nutritional security – improving access to
           earlier four-tier system into a streamlined two-slab   invest in cattle care and feed. Over time, this uplift            protein and calcium across socio-economic
           regime, with essentials largely brought under nil or 5%   translates into a better quality of life for dairy farming     strata.
           GST. For dairy, the impact is immediate and far-reaching:  families.”                                                  ·   Farmer empowerment – generating stable

           ·   Paneer (pre-packaged) and UHT milk are now exempt   With over 80 million dairy farmer households engaged in          demand and incentivising better                   consumers, it means more milk, paneer, ghee, and
             (0%).                                             production, even a modest rise in branded consumption                productivity.                                     butter at fairer prices. For farmers, it offers stability and

           ·   Ghee, butter, butter oil, and cheese have moved   strengthens procurement networks, ensures offtake,               ·   Formalisation – narrowing the grey market and   reinvestment in productivity. For businesses, it
             from 12% to 5%.                                   and underpins farmer livelihoods.                                    strengthening consumer trust in quality.          represents a structural advantage in building stronger
                                                                                                                                                                                      brands and supply chains.
           ·   Other value-added dairy categories such as ice cream   Formalisation and Supply Chain Gains                        ·   Sector expansion – unlocking higher volume growth,
             have also been reduced to 5%.                     India's dairy sector has long operated in two parallel               which analysts expect to outpace the broader FMCG   The new GST regime is therefore not just a tax reform –
           This reset is more than a tax cut; it is a recalibration of   streams: a vast informal supply chain with low             market in the medium term.                        it is a catalyst for the next phase of India's dairy
                                                                                                                                                                                      ascendancy, where affordability, quality, and inclusivity
           affordability, competitiveness, and sectoral        compliance but attractive pricing, and a formal branded            India's dairy economy, valued at nearly INR 19 trillion, is   converge to reshape both demand and supply.
           formalisation.                                      market competing under higher tax and regulatory                   entering a new cycle of affordability-driven growth. For
                                                               costs. The GST rationalisation narrows this gap, creating
           Affordability and Consumer Access
                                                               an inflection point for formalisation.
           For the average Indian household, dairy staples are non-
           negotiable. Even a 5–7% price reduction changes     Deepak Jolly, Chairperson of the Indian Food & Beverage
           purchasing behaviour. The zero-rating of paneer and   Association (IFBA), framed the change as:
           UHT milk, and the halving of GST on ghee and butter, will   “A watershed moment that simplifies compliance,
           ease monthly grocery bills across income groups.    expands affordability, and encourages innovation across
                                                               the food and beverage sector.”
           Mrs. Bhuvaneswari Nara, Vice Chairperson and
           Managing Director of Heritage Foods, noted:         By levelling the field, the reforms are expected to:
           “These essentials touch nearly 100% of Indian       ·   Draw more consumers into the formal sector,
           households. The reforms not only lighten the monthly   improving food safety and trust.
           grocery bill but also allow branded products to compete   ·   Reduce incentives for tax evasion and adulteration.
           more effectively with unorganised players. Heritage   ·   Encourage investment in distribution, cold chain, and
           Foods will pass on the full benefit to consumers and   farmer extension services.
           scale capacity to capture the expected market       For processors, the shift also means scale economics:
           expansion.”
                                                               higher volumes across paneer, ghee, and butter allow
           Such measures directly address the protein and      tighter integration of procurement, logistics, and retail
           nutrition gap in India, making high-quality dairy more   distribution, further lowering costs.
           accessible to families that had previously cut back or   Strategic Implications for Dairy Businesses
           substituted with inferior alternatives due to cost
           pressures.                                          The tax relief provides headroom for companies to
           Rural Multiplier Effect                             reinvest in capacity, innovation, and farmer
                                                               development. Heritage Foods has already confirmed
           The most profound growth is likely to occur in semi-  capacity ramp-ups, while others such as Parag Milk
           urban and rural India, where dairy consumption is   Foods are focusing on strengthening farmer linkages.
           deeply embedded in diets but constrained by price   Dairy boards and cooperatives are expected to leverage
           sensitivity. A few rupees saved per litre or per packet can   lower tax incidence to expand branded portfolios and
           unlock substantial incremental demand.              upgrade infrastructure such as chilling centres and
           Devendra Shah, Chairman of Parag Milk Foods,        packaging lines.



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