India's milk production reaches 247 MT last year: Official
NITI Aayog expects the demand to go up to 480-606 MT by 2047
image for illustrative purpose
Chandigarh: Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) M L Jat has said India's milk production rose from 17 million tonnes in 1950 to 247 MT in 2025.
Jat, a distinguished agronomist, highlighted dairy's dominance within the Rs 17.25 lakh crore livestock sector -- contributing 65 per cent of output and driving 16 per cent of India's gross value added (GVA), which supports 46.1 per cent of the population.
"The Union Budget has allocated Rs 6,153 crore for animal husbandry (up 16 per cent) to recruit 20,000 veterinarians, subsidize colleges/labs and provide cooperative tax relief, powering Viksit Bharat in 2047," he said, while addressing the 22nd convocation of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (ICAR-NDRI) at Karnal in Haryana.
According to an NDRI release, Jat said India's milk production surged from 17 MT (1950) to 247 MT (2025), led by Uttar Pradesh, with Punjab-Haryana topping yields and NITI Aayog projecting 480-606 MT demand by 2047.
Share of milk production was the highest (31.18 per cent) from the indigenous buffaloes followed by crossbred cattle (30.80 per cent), indigenous cattle (11.20 per cent), non-descript cattle (9.64 per cent), non-descript buffaloes (11.97 per cent), goat (3.32 per cent) and exotic cattle (1.89 percent) in the total milk production in the country, it said.
According to officials, India’s milk production is expected to keep rising, possibly reaching 300 million tonnes in coming years. India may contribute 30% of global milk output by 2030, the officials added.
Per capita milk availability has also improved significantly, reaching about 471 grams per day in 2023–24, indicating rising consumption and better nutritional access.
Overall, India’s dairy sector continues to expand due to strong domestic demand, government support, and a large livestock base, with production expected to keep increasing in the coming years.
