Amid the vibrant celebrations of the ongoing Academic Fortnight leading to the 22nd Convocation of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, the prestigious Dr. K.K. Iya Memorial Oration lit up the Dr. D. Sundaresan Auditorium. Presiding over the function, NDRI Director, Dr. Dheer Singh warmly welcomed Chief Guest, Dr. Shaji Krishnan V., Chairman of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).  Homage wad paid to Dr. K.K. Iya—NDRI's visionary Director from 1957-1965, former Dairy Development Advisor to the Government of India, Deputy Director General at ICAR, and FAO expert—through a traditional lamp-lighting and floral tribute.

In his captivating oration on “Climate Risk and Rural Livelihoods: Strengthening Dairy as a Shock-Absorber for Smallholders,” Dr. Krishnan painted an optimistic picture of India's dairy revolution as a beacon of resilience for millions of rural families. He spotlighted India's stellar ascent to the world's largest milk producer, generating 248 million tonnes annually—claiming 25% of global output. This remarkable surge, fueled by a 69% production jump from 2014-25 at a steady 5.7% annual growth rate, has boosted per capita milk availability by 48% to 485 grams daily, a far cry from the mere 124 grams in 1950-51.

Crediting the transformative Operation Flood (1970-96) spearheaded by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and Dr. Verghese Kurien—the Father of India's White Revolution—Dr. Krishnan detailed the sector's vast network: 22 milk federations, 240 district unions, 1.5 lakh cooperative societies across 230,000 villages, and 18 million farmer members, including 35% women leading 48,000 village-level societies. "Dairy isn't just an industry; it's the backbone of rural India, contributing 5% to GDP, employing over 8 crore people, and growing at 6% annually," he emphasized. Its steady, countercyclical income acts as a financial buffer during crop failures, droughts, floods, and market volatility, ensuring families cover essentials.

Turning to climate perils, Dr. Krishnan acknowledged harsh realities: rising temperatures, erratic monsoons, droughts, and floods threaten agriculture, potentially slashing crop yields 4.5-9% by 2040 (1.8% GDP hit) and exposing banks to $1.4 trillion in risks. For 86% small and marginal farmers, impacts include heat stress reducing milk yields 10-30% and fertility, fodder scarcity from shrinking pastures, water stress boosting diseases like Lumpy Skin Disease and mastitis, and supply chain breakdowns. Yet, he stressed, dairy's reliability shines through, mitigating 5% annual income losses for the rural poor and curbing migration.

Dr. Krishnan rallied behind NABARD's proactive leadership in forging climate-resilient dairy systems. Key initiatives include the ₹29,110 crore Dairy Processing Infrastructure Development Fund and Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund, which have added 10.69 million liters per day of processing capacity, 265 metric tonnes per day of milk powder plants, and 113 bulk milk coolers. NABARD has nurtured 600 dairy Farmer Producer Organizations, launched JIVA for natural farming and nutrient cycling via livestock, integrated dairy into tribal orchard systems and backed LEDP for rural enterprises. Digital leaps like Dvara e-Dairy's biometric cattle ID, health scoring, and insurance stabilize incomes, while RIDF funds chilling centers, vaccines, and roads.

Looking ahead, Dr. Krishnan envisioned a dynamic future: heat-tolerant breeds via genomics, methane-busting feeds, Artificial Inteligence for real-time health monitoring and traceability, hydroponic fodder, and policies embedding livestock in climate plans—with incentives for solar chilling, indexed insurance, green finance, and women/youth-led clusters. "Partnering with NDRI, NABARD will pioneer smallholder-centric, low-emission dairying—turning challenges into global models of sustainability and equity," he affirmed.

Dr. Ashish Kumar Singh, Joint Director (Academic) thanked NABARD for their significant contribution during the National Dairy Mela which was a great success.  Dr. A.K. Singh highlighted that every year this NDRI Oration Award is given to a renowned personality in the memory of our Veteran Legendary Director of NDRI, Dr. KK Iya.   The award consists of a memento, citation, scroll and an honorarium. Dr. Rajan Sharma, Joint Director (Research), proposed the vote of thanks, expressing heartfelt gratitude to Nivedita Tiwari, Chief General Manager, NABARD, Haryana and Sunil Kumar Kaushik, GM and all dignitaries, farmers from Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, retired personnel, girls from IARI, participants, students and organizers for the event's resounding success. On this occasion over 1000 scientists, staff and students of the institute attended the Oration Ceremony.

 

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