Milk production in India increases by 4% in 2024

New Delhi: India’s milk production rose nearly 4 per cent annually to 239.3 million tonnes in 2023-24. The milk output of India, stood at 230.58 MT in 2022-23.  India is the world’s largest milk producer. Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh said this while addressing an event to celebrate National Milk Day.

The minister released Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics 2024 on the occasion of National Milk Day 2024, which is celebrated every year on November 26 to honour the Father of white revolution, Verghese Kurien, who was born on this day.

As per data,  the annual growth rate has slowed down in the previous two fiscal years. The growth rate was 6.62 per cent in 2017-18; 6.47 per cent in FY19; 5.69 per cent in FY20; 5.81 per cent in FY21; and 5.77 per cent in FY22. In FY23 it came down to 3.83 per cent and 3.78 per cent in FY24.

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Among other livestock, the data showed that production of eggs has risen from 138.38 million tonnes in 2022-23 to 142.77 million tonnes, registering a growth rate of 3.17 per cent.  This rate in 2022-23 was 6.77 per cent.

Production of meat has risen from 9.77 million tonnes in 2022-23 to 10.25 million tonnes in 2023-24, registering a growth rate of 4.95 per cent, while wool production has risen from 33.61 million kgs in 2022-23 to 33.69 million kgs in 2023-24. The growth rate here was 0.22 per cent as against 2.12 per cent the previous year.

Meanwhile, the data also showed that milk production from buffaloes has decreased 16 per cent in 2023-24 compared to the previous year.

Milk output from exotic/crossbred cattle has increased 8 per cent while production from indigenous/non-descript cattle increased 44.76 per cent.

The top five milk producing states during 2023-24 were Uttar Pradesh with a share of 16.21 per cent of total milk production followed by Rajasthan (14.51 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (8.91 per cent), Gujarat (7.65 per cent), and Maharashtra (6.71 per cent).

In terms of annual growth rate, West Bengal was at the top (9.76 per cent) followed by Jharkhand (9.04 per cent), Chhattisgarh (8.62 per cent), and Assam (8.53 per cent) as compared to the previous year.