No import of dairy products; we will boost output

    By
    The Dairy Times News Bureau
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    New Delhi, April 15, 2023: India won’t import ghee, butter or any other dairy product. Rather, it will boost supplies from untapped domestic sources, animal husbandry and dairying minister Parshottam Rupala said.

    The minister’s comment came after Rajesh Kumar Singh, secretary in the same ministry, told reporters on 5 Aprilthe government may look at importing dairy products such as butter and ghee if needed as there is a supply constraint due to stagnant milk production in the last fiscal year.

    Milk production has typically been growing at 6% annually. However, in 2022-23, production may grow at 1-2% due to lumpy skin disease in cattle, Singh said.

    In 2021-22, milk output stood at 221 million tonnes, nearly 6.3% more than the previous year, according to the ministry. “Shortage of dairy products is not true. Hence no import will take place,” Rupala said on the sidelines of the launch of an animal health support system on Friday according to the reports published in livemint.com.

    “The government is monitoring regularly, and there is no shortage of milk in the country,” he added.

    “Domestic demand has increased by 8-10% after the pandemic. We have a huge, unprecedented area, and we will try to tap it,” he said urging farmers and consumers to not worry about it.

    Heatwaves during the summer of 2022 and unseasonal rainfall in most fodder-growing states brought down the availability of fodder.

    Wholesale price inflation in milk stood at 6.99% in December, 8.96% in January and 10.33% in February, rising for a third straight month.

    While announcing the monetary policy, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on 6 April said, “Milk prices are also likely to remain firm going into the summer season due to tight demand-supply balance and fodder cost pressures.” Rising consumer price inflation since December 2022 has been driven by price pressure in cereals, milk and fruits.

    Retail milk prices have gone up by 13-15% in the past 15 months amid a worldwide increase in cereal prices, which have started stabilizing now.

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