By 2032, India will account for 33% of global milk output: NDDB CMD Meenesh Shah

Yes. During 1947, our milk production was about 15 mt and continued to be so till 1960. We were import-dependent. There was pressure on the per capita availability of milk. So during that period, per capita availability was about 115 g per person per day. Then it was thought that we need structured interventions to improve milk availability and milk production. That’s how NDDB was established in 1965. NDDB started the Operation Flood Program in 1970. With the support of the World Bank and the Government of India, till 1992, we had three phases of Operation Flood, which made India not only self-sufficient in milk and meat products, but also became the largest milk producer in the world in 1998.

In 2022-23, India’s milk production was 231 mt, which gives the per capita milk availability of 460 g per person per day. We have moved from 115 g to 460 g per person per day. That is the improvement which has happened.

One of the major scientific programmes, which NDDB initiated to improve the milk productivity of animals, was the artificial insemination programme to improve the genetic potential of the animals. And for that frozen semen doses were needed. Initially, we had the Sabarmati Ashram Goshala at Ahmedabad. NDDB started managing the SAG semen station. Then we had one more semen station in UP called Animal Breeding Research Organisation. With those two semen stations we were producing semen and supplying to farmers. But to improve the productivity of our animals we need a larger coverage of the artificial insemination in the country. In 2000-2005, NDDB design, the national dairy plan, and during the conceptualisation, we realised that the demand for semen doses should be much higher considering that we want to increase the artificial insemination coverage in our country.

We are covering about 35-40 per cent of the animals. We wanted to increase that coverage and that’s the reason we conceptualised two large semen stations — Alamadi in Chennai and Rahuri in Maharashtra. Along with the other two stations — Animal Breeding Centre, Salon and Semen Station in Rohtak, Haryana — the total production is 50 million doses per annum.

It is producing about 10 million doses. The semen is produced from the high genetic merit pools. That means the pedigree of the bulls is very high in terms of genetic potential and the crude milk production capacity. They are carefully selected and, you know, we have about 300 such bulls and also about 25 breeds.

Kangeyam from Tamil Nadu; Punganur and Ongole from Andhra Pradesh and Vechur from Kerala are some of the breeds and those bulls are also available. We also have exotic, bulls for crossbreeds. We are catering to all the Southern States and also Odisha.

Globally, there is a technology to sort out the bovine semen. Normally you have X and Y chromosomes in this semen. If conceptualisation happens with X it will be female, and Y will lead to your male calf. What it does is to increase the X chromosome in semen. If you guarantee 85-90 per cent of the semen will have only X chromosome, then the probability of having a female calf will also be 85-90 depending on the chromosomes that you have. So in a way we are sorting X and Y chromosomes and giving X chromosome semen to the farmers for artificial insemination to improve the probability of only having a female cow for the farmers. It is very good for the farmer. They will not have economic losses. Having a female calf is always better for the farmers and the country, and milk production will be good.

There are two US-based companies — ST and ABS — supplying the sorting technology. It is around ₹1,000 per sample and this is costly for farmers. In total artificial insemination, sex-sorted semen is used less than 1 per cent. For the last 4-5 years we have been working to develop our technology. At Alamadi, we installed the machines to produce these sex-sorted semen.

We have started production on a pilot basis. We also had a field trial earlier. Initial results are good in terms of conception rate and purity. We are getting the desired results, either equal or better than the technologies which are available. And if everything goes as planned in two months time, we will be ready to launch this technology.

Yes, we want to give to farmers the sorted semen between ₹300 and ₹500.

Yes. This is a 100 per cent Aatmanirbhar story in the dairy industry. There will be more female calves produced, and will in turn lead lead to increased milk production.

There are 67 semen stations in the country. They will get the technology developed through a supplier. We are yet to finalise the commercial terms. We don’t want to have a monopoly like the existing companies have.

We are also working on technology called embryo transfer and IVF. We are also working scientifically on various health and nutrition initiatives.

At present, the milk production is 231 mt, which is about 25 per cent of the global share. By 2030 or 2032, we will produce 300 mt or 33 per cent of the global production. These technologies will help in the increase.

The Government of India and NDDB and various other agencies are targeting 600 mt of milk by 2047.