Govt mulls strategy to tackle milk scarcity
Concerned over the short supply of milk against an increasing demand for the vital food item in the country, Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrashekhar will review the situation on Thursday to work out a strategy for the coming summer season, during which milk production will further dip.
A rising demand for milk and milk products had led to an increase in its prices even during the winter months this year, when production peaks. This was partly responsible for pushing up food inflation. The trend is bound to continue and put more pressure on milk prices in the coming months as heat stress on the cattle will further reduce milk production.
The government said it has set a target to produce 116.2 million tonnes of milk in 2010-11 against 112.5 million tonnes produced last year, an increase of 3.7 million tonnes.
Expressing concern over the slow pace of milk production in the country, the Economic Survey 2010-11 noted that this was not enough considering the surging demand.
Projecting the demand for milk to go up to 180 million tonnes by 2020-21, the survey warned that India, the biggest milk producer in the world, might turn out to be a net importer of the food item if domestic production is not increased.
To deal with the situation, the survey recommended milk production to be increased by 5.5 per cent annually over the next 12 years to bridge the demand-supply gap.
Sources said the Cabinet Secretary will take stock of the milk production scenario with secretaries of agriculture, food, consumer affairs, commerce and finance ministries.
They said while efforts are being made to boost milk production in the main producing states of Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to achieve the target, emphasis has also been accorded to raise milk production in eastern states like Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam.
Experts feel that the eastern states have huge “untapped” potential in milk production, which needs to be exploited to boost the volume of the food item in the country.
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