India's dairy sector is set for a revolutionary transformation with the launch of "White Revolution 2.0" by Union Minister Amit Shah. Building on the legacy of the historic Operation Flood, this new initiative aims to elevate India's position as a global dairy leader by 2028. With ambitious goals to boost milk production, strengthen dairy cooperatives, and empower women farmers, White Revolution 2.0 is poised to reshape the industry and unlock new opportunities for millions of dairy farmers across the country.

India's dairy industry received a significant boost when Union Minister Amit Shah unveiled "White Revolution 2.0." This program expands on the achievements of Operation Flood, which was launched in 1970 and used cooperative organizations to revolutionize the dairy business. Operation Flood made India one of the largest milk producers in the world. In order to guarantee the successful formation of new cooperatives under the initiative, Amit Shah established Margdarshika, which aims to create 200,000 new agricultural cooperatives and grow the dairy industry, with a daily production target of 100 million kg by 2028.

Objectives of White Revolution 2.0

The program's four main objectives are to develop the dairy industry's infrastructure, increase local milk production, empower women farmers, and increase dairy exports. The initiative is one of three that the Modi government, in its first 100 days of office, has launched.

Over the next five years, White Revolution 2.0 initiative aims to boost milk collection nationwide by fifty percent. By 2028–2029, the daily procurement of milk is expected to increase from 660 lakh kg to 1,007 lakh kilograms. This will also increase the cooperative network's reach, improving dairy farmers' access to markets. The Union Minister of Cooperation revealed that raising animals will be a part of the effort to improve the fertility of arable land.

Cooperatives were the backbone of Operation Flood, and they remain fundamental to White Revolution 2.0. Approximately 1.7 lakh dairy cooperative organizations exist in India now, accounting for 30% of all villages. Although their reach varies by location, these cooperatives manage 10% of the country's milk production.

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) intends to enhance 46,000 current cooperative societies and establish 56,000 new ones over the next five years in order to expand coverage. States with less developed dairy cooperatives at the moment, such as Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh, will be the main focus.

Funding Strategies

Funding for the White Revolution 2.0 project will come from the National Programme for Dairy Development 2.0. With the help of this funding, milk collection centers, refrigerated storage facilities, and dairy farmer training programs will be established.

The plan calls for the establishment and maintenance of one million new and current district cooperative societies, as well as multipurpose PACS and district cooperative societies. All of these entities will be connected to milk channels via the required infrastructure.

These new & upgraded PACS have been linked with items like dairy, fisheries, warehouse, cheap grain shop, cheap medicine shop, fuel pump, LPG cylinder, water distribution etc. With this in hand, the PACS established in each panchayat will strive to fortify our tripartite cooperative framework.

The project will be initially funded by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), which will provide up to 1,000 M-PACS at a rate of Rs 40,000 per M-PACS.

Amit Shah also announced the establishment of micro-ATMs at dairy cooperative societies and the statewide distribution of RuPay Kisan Credit Cards for dairy producers. He also published standard operating procedures for 67,930 Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) computerization.

Current  Milk Production Landscape

With an estimated 230.58 million tonnes of milk produced in 2022–2023, India is currently the world's largest producer of milk. Compared to 17 million tonnes in 1951–1952, this is a significant increase. Comparing the milk yield per animal to global averages, it is still low. Over the next five years, the project hopes to increase milk production by at least 50%.

In addition, there have been significant changes in the fields of artificial insemination, animal health, cow dung-induced economic improvement, and animal feed and seeds. He claimed that by making it even stronger, dairy products can also be used to gain foreign cash.

Economic Impact

With an estimated 230.58 million tonnes of milk produced in 2022–2023, India is currently the world's largest producer of milk. Compared to 17 million tonnes in 1951–1952, this is a significant increase. Comparing the milk yield per animal to global averages, it is still low. Over the next five years, the project hopes to increase milk production by at least 50%.
 

In addition, there have been significant changes in the fields of artificial insemination, animal health, cow dung-induced economic improvement, and animal feed and seeds. He claimed that by making it even stronger, dairy products can also be used to gain foreign cash.

In order to accomplish this goal, the plan will make use of the advantages of both currently running initiatives, such as the Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) and the National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD), as well as newly planned initiatives like the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying's NPDD 2.0.

Through White Revolution 2.0, the cooperation ministry wants to establish 70,000 new multifunctional cooperatives over the next five years, with 22,752 expected by 2026, 47,248 by 2029, and 56,500 in the remaining time.

The Indian government has arranged a scientific exhibition to produce 38 pieces of equipment domestically that are related to testing equipment, bulk milk collection, and dairy infrastructure. The prime minister will make this presentation to us in the coming days. India intends to export its goods to the global market. Japan and the Netherlands are no longer the countries from which we acquire dairy equipment. All of their production will be done in India. In a sense, we've made progress toward our objective of total self-sufficiency in the dairy industry.

Conclusion

White Revolution 2.0 marks a bold step towards revitalizing India’s dairy industry, making it more self-reliant, inclusive, and globally competitive. By harnessing the power of cooperatives, innovative technology, and empowering local farmers, particularly women, this initiative holds the potential to drive significant economic growth. As India continues its journey to becoming a global dairy powerhouse, the government's focus on sustainable development and cooperative success will be key in ensuring a brighter future for the nation's dairy sector.