White Revolution 2.0

September 21, 2024

Union Minister Amit Shah introduced “White Revolution 2.0” to further strengthen India’s dairy sector. This initiative builds upon the success of Operation Flood, which started in 1970 and transformed the dairy industry through cooperative societies. Operation Flood made India one of the largest milk producers in the world.

Objectives of White Revolution 2.0

The primary goal of White Revolution 2.0 is to increase milk collection across the country by 50% over the next five years. The aim is to boost daily milk procurement from 660 lakh kilograms to 1,007 lakh kilograms by 2028-29. This will also give dairy farmers better access to markets by expanding the cooperative network.

Cooperatives were the backbone of Operation Flood, and they remain central to White Revolution 2.0. Currently, there are about 1.7 lakh dairy cooperative societies across India, covering 30% of the villages. These cooperatives handle about 10% of the national milk production, but the coverage is uneven across regions.

To increase coverage, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) plans to set up 56,000 new cooperative societies and improve 46,000 existing ones over the next five years. The focus will be on states like Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh, where dairy cooperatives are currently less developed.

Funding Strategies

The initiative will receive funding from the National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) 2.0. This money will be used to set up milk collection centers, create chilling facilities to keep milk fresh, and provide training programs for dairy farmers.

Current Milk Production Landscape

India is already the largest milk producer in the world, with a total production of 230.58 million tonnes in 2022-23. This is a huge increase compared to 17 million tonnes in 1951-52. However, the milk yield per animal is still low when compared to global averages.

Economic Impact

The dairy industry accounts for about 40% of India’s agricultural output and provides livelihoods for more than 85 million people. Around 63% of the milk produced reaches the market, with the majority coming from the unorganised sector, while cooperatives control most of the organised sector.

White Revolution 2.0 is designed to build on past achievements. It aims to improve milk production, increase economic opportunities, and uplift rural communities, especially women, by empowering them through cooperative movements.

This initiative will play a crucial role in India’s continued dairy development and in making the dairy sector more inclusive and efficient.

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