For commemorating World Milk Day  today, APEDA in association with Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MFAHD) organized a webinar cum interactive session  on the prospects of harnessing full potential of dairy products exports from the country.

While delivering keynote address at the webinar, Shri Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary, MFAHD said India is Atmanirbhar in production of milk and has enough surplus produce to exports. He shared the progress made in production and export growth in dairy products.

Shri Chaturvedi also mentioned that COVID has provided a lesson that for boosting immunity, dairy products have that potential. There is big need for niche products for the class who are ready to pay any price for the quality product. He also mentioned about  the schemes and programs of the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying like National Program for Dairy Development, National Livestock Mission, Livestock Health and Disease Control and Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund etc.

Stressing on the health needs of livestock population through vaccination, Shri Chaturvedi noted that Animal Disease Control Program was launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi under Central Sector Scheme. “We will achieve our target with these initiatives for making India free from Foot and Mouth Disease with vaccination by 2025 and without vaccination by 2030,”he said at the webinar.

For ensuring availability of quality fodder and feed for the cattle nutrition through Pashuaadhar for traceability for the animals. MFAHD has scheme for developing infrastructure under Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) under AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.  Besides several incentives are being provided for promotion of investments by individual entrepreneurs, private companies, MSME, Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs) and companies to establish the dairy processing and value addition infrastructure and Animal Feed Plant.

Dr. Varsha Joshi, Joint Secretary, MFAHD, mentioned that measures are being taken for constraints faced by the dairy exporters. She said that an Investment Promotion Desk is   established to support the dairy entrepreneurs. She mentioned that market promotion is required to promote the dairy products and in association of APEDA,

Dr. M. Angamuthu, Chairman, APEDA said that time has come to promote the FPOs, dairy farmers or cooperatives to export dairy products directly to the global destinations. Shri Meenesh C Shah, Executive Director, National Dairy Development Board also shared their views on Overall scenario of Dairy sector in India.

On the behalf of the exporters Dr. R S Sodhi, Managing Director, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) also known as \AMUL, shared the constraints being faced in exports i.e market access issues in China, EU, South Africa and Mexico, Sodhi said that high import duty charged by SAARC and neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh (35%) and Pakistan (45%).  Sodhi also noted that major importing countries have imposed much higher import duty on dairy products from India.

Dairy export promotion: coordinated infrastructure incentives and animal health measures to improve market access for exporters. The Ministry and APEDA prioritized export promotion through support for FPOs, cooperatives and entrepreneurs, an Investment Promotion Desk, and incentives under the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund to build dairy processing, value addition and feed infrastructure. Parallel regulatory measures focus on animal health, traceability and a vaccination led disease control program as prerequisites for improved market access amid existing tariff and non tariff barriers faced by exporters.