Slavery Of 1300 Years Has Left Us Hand to Mouth, Now We Are Agriculture Giant
India will continue to stay on the back bench when it comes to dairy exports. The reason is high domestic consumption. A report which had already been shared by BW Businessworld shares that ‘India’s exports are minimal due to high domestic consumption and uncompetitive global prices’.
Under such critical circumstances, World Food India had witnessed a dedicated session on Fruits and Vegetable dairy poultry, fisheries – leveraging the diverse Indian opportunity. MoS of food processing ministry, Niranjan Jyoti has quoted on the occasion that India has won the confidence of investors from abroad and she reiterated PM’s vision of mutual growth.
Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare was emotionally driving the participants and delegates when he recalled how India had witnessed 1300 years of alleged atrocities by various rulers. He also said that prior to white revolution during Independence, India did not even had enough to feed its 34 crore population. India now feeds more than a billion and for instance, only the milk consumption had inclined from 117 grams to 334 grams per day per person since independence.
A look At India’s Dairy Consumption & Export Estimate
India’s crop year 2018 non-fat dairy milk (NFDM) exports have been forecasted to increase marginally to 15,000 metric tons mainly due to uncompetitive export prices. Exports on the year 2016 NFDM and butter exports are revised to reflect customs data. The crop year 2018 butter exports are forecast flat at 10,000 MT on expectations of moderate demand.
India’s dairy exports mainly include NFDM, fats, and oils derived from milk, cheese, lactose products, Casein, butter, and ice-cream to countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan, United Arab Emirates, United States and Singapore. In the year 2016, India’s dairy exports were valued at 172 million USD, which was up five percent in comparison to previous year. From Crop Year 2011 to Crop Year 2016, India’s dairy exports value increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.1 percent.
Horticulture and Fishery
Adding to where Radha Mohan Singh had left during his first interaction on three years of the success story, he has also focussed upon the increase of horticulture production which is roughly estimated to grow at CAGR of 12 percent for the current marketing quarter. Development of country cow breeds was also his area of focus during the session. While he has also focussed upon how India has taken a leap forward in fish production and increased it by some 20 percent in recent years.
Secretary of Animal husbandry dairy and fishery addressed the issue of quality of female bovine breeds in India, Chaudhary has shown a rather genuine concern that only one out of four household female bovine in India is of good quality to give milk. Giving few very interesting internal stats, he said, out of some 300 million bovines in India, some 2.49 million female bovine breeds able premium quality.
A relatively high milk supply from unorganised milk producers which somewhere 35 percent of overall milk production is also a big reason of export deterioration in dairy segments said the panelists.
Industrialists Speak
Piruz Khambatta, MD of Rasna Pvt Ltd has shared his concerns with BW Businessworld and said that it is actually like a punishment to impose a higher GST slab on processed food when you want to get a higher investment in the sector. Piruz though has asserted that it is his first-time satisfactory working experience with a government which is professional in its vision and work.
MD of Asia largest milk cooperative AMUL, RS Sodhi had talked to BW Businessworld and said that "we are having a sufficient consumer base in India for most of the processed foods and we should focus on satisfying internal demand and there is no need for exports". Shodhi said it has multiple aspects and it will be a positive concern if do it seriously from micro and macroeconomic prospects.
While ITC food division's Hemant Malik has said that, "ITC will be investing RS 10,000 crore in processing sector in coming years". Nestle India’s MD, Suresh Narayan focussed on Nutrition, Networking & National idea to go for dairy and allied agriculture business.
