Pune: On Monday, Union minister for fisheries, animal husbandry, and dairy Rajiv Ranjan Singh said govt was working to make the country free from foot and mouth disease (FMD) by ensuring that milk and dairy products exports were allowed to go to European countries.
FMD is a viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals. The minister inaugurated the “Entrepreneurship Development Conclave 2025” at Pimpri Chinchwad on Monday. He said the selected nine states, including Maharashtra, where the animal husbandry and dairy department had increased vaccination efforts. He launched 40 projects, 20 each under the National Livestock Mission (NLM) and the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF). Union Minister of State S P Singh Baghel, George Kurien and State Minister of Environment and Climate Change Pankaja Munde were also present.
Singh said, “India was the highest milk producer in the world. However, it could still not export dairy products to European countries as the latter does not allow exports from countries that are not declared free from FMD.” He said India supplies milk and dairy products to Arabian nations and the United States.
