The Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying updates Lok Sabha on government's efforts to boost dairy and livestock sectors. Key initiatives include the National Programme for Dairy Development, Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund, Rashtriya Gokul Mission, and Entrepreneurship Development Programme.
The Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, addressed the Lok Sabha on August 4, 2026, outlining the Government's ongoing efforts to strengthen India's dairy and livestock sectors. The minister highlighted several key interventions aimed at enhancing dairy infrastructure, breed improvement, entrepreneurship promotion, and animal health preparedness.
According to the Minister, milk procurement prices are determined by dairy cooperatives and private dairies based on market conditions, with no reports suggesting that dairy farmers are not receiving remunerative prices due to a gap between procurement and retail prices.
In an effort to strengthen the dairy sector, the National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) has facilitated the formation of 36,611 new Dairy Cooperative Societies and fortified 34,557 village-level dairy cooperative societies as of June 2026. Additionally, around 168 lakh litres per day of milk chilling capacity has been created, while 76,748 milk quality testing devices have been distributed.
Under the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF), projects with a total milk processing and value addition capacity of 418 lakh litres per day have been approved. The Milk Supply Review Dashboard Portal, integrated with the National Cooperative Database, currently reflects three active dairy cooperative societies in Delhi.
Progress under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) has been substantial in terms of indigenous breed development, genetic improvement, and productivity enhancement. Tamil Nadu received Central assistance of ₹12,521.83 lakh during the last three years, which was fully utilised by the State. This support enabled 36.13 lakh artificial inseminations, strengthened four semen stations, trained and equipped 475 MAITRIs (Multi-Purpose Artificial Insemination Technicians in Rural India), established two IVF laboratories, created sex-sorted semen facilities, established three Breed Multiplication Farms, and assisted with Heifer Rearing Centres.
The Government also highlighted achievements under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, National Livestock Mission (NLM), and Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP). During the last five years, over 17.27 crore artificial inseminations have been carried out under the Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programme, benefiting nearly 5.98 crore farmers.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
