The popular Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath ji, my cabinet colleague Shri Parshottam Rupala ji, other ministers, MPs, President of International Dairy Federation P. Brazzale ji, IDF DG Caroline Emond ji, other dignitaries present here, ladies and gentlemen!

I am glad that today experts and innovators in the dairy sector from across the world have congregated in India. On behalf of the animals of India, the citizens of India, and the Government of India, I warmly welcome all the dignitaries who have come from different countries to the World Dairy Summit . The potential of the dairy sector not only fuels the rural economy, but it is also a major source of livelihood for crores of people around the world. I am sure this summit will play a vital role in enhancing each other's knowledge and learning from each other in terms of ideas, technology, expertise and traditions related to the dairy sector.

Friends,

Today's event is being held at a time when India has completed 75 years of its independence. Incidentally, more than 75 lakh dairy farmers of India have also joined us in this event via technology. Last mile beneficiaries of such Summits are our farmer brothers and sisters. I also welcome and congratulate my farmer friends on the occasion of the World Dairy Summit.

Friends,

Livestock and milk business have been an integral part of India's culture dating back thousands of years. This legacy of ours has empowered the dairy sector of India with certain characteristics. I would like to specifically mention these features in front of the experts who have come here from other countries.

Friends,

Unlike other developed countries of the world, the small farmers are the driving force of the dairy sector in India. India's dairy sector is characterized by "production by masses" rather than "mass production". Most of the farmers associated with the dairy sector in India have either one animal, two cattle or three cattle. Due to the hard work of these small farmers and their livestock, today India is the largest milk producing country in the whole world. Today this sector provides employment to more than 8 crore families in India. You will rarely find such uniqueness of the Indian dairy sector anywhere else. Today, I am also mentioning this in the World Dairy Summit because it can become a great business model for the farmers of the poor countries of the world.

Friends,

The dairy sector of India has another unique feature. So, the second feature of our dairy sector is India's Dairy Cooperative System. Today there is such a huge network of Dairy Cooperative in India that could be hardly found anywhere else in the whole world. These dairy cooperatives collect milk twice a day from about 2 crore farmers in more than two lakh villages of the country, and deliver it to the customers. There is no middle man in the whole process, and more than 70 percent of the money received from the customers goes directly into the pockets of the farmers. Moreover, if I talk about the state of Gujarat, all this money goes directly into the bank accounts of women. No other country has such a high ratio in the whole world. Now, due to the digital revolution happening in India, most of the transactions in the dairy sector are taking place at a very fast pace. I believe that studying the Dairy Cooperatives of India and getting information about it as well as the digital payment system developed in the dairy sector, can be of great use to the farmers of many countries of the world.

There is another great strength and uniqueness of India's Dairy Sector and that is our Indigenous Species. Local breeds of cows and buffaloes that India have, are known to survive even under the toughest weather conditions. I would like to give you the example of the banni buffalo of Gujarat. It is surprising to see the way the banni buffaloes are acclimatized to the desert conditions of Kutch. The days are very hot and sunny. Therefore, banni buffaloes come out to graze in the low temperature of the night. Our friends who have come from abroad will also be surprised to know that while grazing, these animals do not have any herder along with them. The banni buffaloes go to the pastures near the villages all by themselves. There is less water in the desert but the banni buffaloes can survive on that little water. The banni buffalo comes home on its own in the morning even after treading 10-15 kilometers in the night for grazing. It is rarely heard that someone's banni buffalo is lost or has gone to the wrong house. I have given you the example of only banni buffalo, but in India many buffalo breeds like Murrah, Mehsana, Jafrabadi, Nili Ravi, Pandharpuri are still developing in their own way. Similarly, there are cow breeds like Gir cow, Sahiwal, Rathi, Kankrej, Tharparkar, Haryana, and so on and so forth, which make India's dairy sector unique. Most of these animals of Indian breed are also climate comfortable and equally adjusting.

Friends,

So far I have told you the three unique features of the dairy sector of India, which is its identity i.e. the power of small farmers, the power of cooperatives and the power of Indian breed animals together builds up a completely different strength. But there is also a fourth unique feature of India's dairy sector, which is not discussed as much and does not get as much recognition. Our guests from abroad will probably be surprised to know that women power represents 70% of the workforce in India's dairy sector. Women are the real leaders of India's dairy sector. Moreover, more than a third of the members of dairy cooperatives in India too are women. The driving force of the Indian dairy sector worth Rs. 8.5 lakh crore and whose value is more than the total production of paddy and wheat, is the women living in rural areas of India, i.e. our mothers and daughters. I would also urge all the dignitaries associated with the World Dairy Summit to recognize this role of India's women power and take it to various global platforms.

Friends,

Since 2014, our government has worked relentlessly to enhance the potential of India's dairy sector. Today its result is visible in terms of milk production as well as the increased income of farmers. In 2014, India produced 146 million tonnes of milk. Now it has increased to 210 million tonnes. That is, an increase of about 44 percent! Today, milk production is growing at the rate of 2% in the whole world, whereas in India its growth rate is more than 6 percent. The per capita availability of milk in India is much higher than the world average. In the last 3-4 years, our government has directly transferred about 2 lakh crore rupees to the bank accounts of small farmers of India. A large part of this has also gone into the accounts of farmers associated with the dairy sector.

Friends,

Today our focus is on building a balanced dairy ecosystem in the country; an ecosystem in which our focus is not only on the quality of milk and allied products, but also on addressing other challenges. Additional income of the farmers, empowerment of the poor, cleanliness, chemical free farming, clean energy and animal care are all intertwined. That is, we are making the dairy sector and animal husbandry a big medium for a green and sustainable growth in the villages of India. Rashtriya Gokul Mission, Gobardhan Yojana, digitization of dairy sector and universal vaccination for animals are some of the efforts in this direction. Moreover, the campaign to stop single-use plastic in India is also of great importance from the point of view of environment protection as well as for the animals. Animal rights activists and animal lovers who believe in kindness to animals and in livestock are concerned about their welfare. It is known very well how dangerous plastic is for animals; how dangerous it is for cows and buffaloes. We have started a very persistent effort to eliminate single-use plastic as well.

Friends,

The scale of India's dairy sector is being expanded further by connecting it with science. India is building the largest database of dairy animals. Every animal associated with the dairy sector is being tagged. With the help of modern technology, we are undertaking biometric identification of animals. We have named it- 'Pashu Aadhaar'. Digital identification of animals is being done through Pashu Aadhaar, which will help in expanding the market related to dairy products along with keeping an eye on their health.

Friends,

Today, India's focus is also on promoting entrepreneurship and businesses in the field of animal husbandry. We are uniting the power of small farmers associated with the dairy sector through Farmer Producer Organizations and the Self-Help Groups of women, turning them into a major market force. We are also using our young talent to build start-ups in the agriculture and dairy sectors. You will also be glad to know that in the last 5-6 years, more than 1000 start-ups have been formed in the agriculture and dairy sectors in India.

Friends,

The Gobardhan scheme is an example of how India is making unique efforts in this area. A short while back, Rupala ji had described the increasing importance of cow dung in the economy. Today a massive campaign is going on in India to generate biogas and bio-CNG from animal dung. We are trying to ensure that dairy plants can meet most of their electricity requirements from cow dung. This is one of the ways with which farmers are making additional income. The organic manure that is made in this process will give farmers an affordable way for farming. This will also reduce the cost of cultivation and the soil will also be safe. In India today, unprecedented emphasis is being laid on natural farming, in which animals play a major role.

Friends,

I often say that monoculture is not the only solution in farming. Instead diversity is much needed. This also applies to animal husbandry. Therefore, in India today attention is being paid to both indigenous breeds and hybrid breeds. This will also reduce the risk of damage caused by climate change.

Friends,

Another major problem is the diseases in animals. When an animal falls sick, it affects the life of the farmer, impacting his income. It also affects the efficiency of the animal, the quality of its milk and other related products. That is why in India, we are also emphasizing on universal vaccination of animals. We have resolved that by 2025, we will vaccinate 100% of the animals against Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis. We are aiming to completely eradicate these diseases by the end of this decade.

Friends,

While having this discussion with you today, I also wish to mention the latest challenge faced by the dairy sector. In the recent past, there has been a loss of livestock due to the disease named Lumpy in many states of India. The central government, along with various state governments, is striving hard to control it. Our scientists have also developed an indigenous vaccine for Lumpy Skin Disease. Apart from vaccination, efforts are being made to control the disease by speeding up the investigation and controlling the movement of animals.

Friends,

Be it animal vaccination or other technology, India has always been ready to contribute to the dairy sector of the whole world and learn from all its partner countries. India has also acted very quickly on its food safety standards. Today India is working on such a digital system for the livestock sector, which will capture the end to end activities of this sector. This will provide accurate information needed to improve this sector. This summit will put forth similar work that is being done around the world like such technologies. It will also suggest ways by which we can share the expertise related to this. I invite the global leaders of the dairy industry to join the drive to empower the dairy sector in India. I also appreciate the International Dairy Federation for their excellent work and contribution. Once again my heartiest welcome to all of you who have come from abroad! After a long time, after almost 5 decades, India has got the opportunity to welcome you all and to discuss various topics. The nectar that will emerge from this brainstorming will help in developing the economy of the country's rural life in this 'Amritkaal' and also in further strengthening the capacity of the country's livestock and in the empowerment of the poorest of the poor. It will be a great contribution! With this expectation and hope, many thanks to all of you.

Best wishes. Thank you.

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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DS/VJ/IG/AK