Govt rules out import of dairy items

New Delhi: Union minister for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, Parshottam Rupala, on Friday said India was not looking to import dairy items such as butter as supplies were improving, days after the ministry’s top bureaucrat had said the government may take a decision on imports after reviewing the demand-supply situation.

The minister said there was no shortage and therefore no imports were required. He was speaking soon after launching India’s first animal pandemic response system in collaboration with the World Bank here on Friday.

The programme, official called the animal pandemic preparedness initiative and worth ₹1229 crore, will be implemented as a central-sector scheme to deal with outbreaks such as the devastating lumpy skin disease among cattle in 2021-2022.

“There is no shortage of dairy products. No imports are required,” Rupala said, amid tight supplies due to the knock-on effects of a demand rebound after the pandemic, rising fodder prices and the lumpy skin disease outbreak among cattle last year.

Retail milk prices have risen the sharpest over the past decade in 2022-23, increasing by nearly 15%.

The minister said demand for milk and milk products had increased but the government has a “huge untapped area” that will be harnessed. “We will manage it and there is no need to worry,” he said.

Rupala launched two animal health initiatives -- the Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative and the World Bank-funded Animal Health System Support for One Health.

The animal health programmes will focus on prevention of outbreaks, especially zoonotic diseases, or infections caused by microorganisms that jump from animals to humans. Ebola and SARS are examples of zoonotic diseases; Covid-19 is most likely one too.

“India is home to a diverse animal species, and the livestock sector plays a critical role in the country’s economy and food security. However, we are also vulnerable to threats posed by emerging and zoonotic diseases. Today’s initiatives are a proactive step to protect our animal resources and ensure the safety and health of our people,” the minister said.

The animal health programmes will create an “integrated disease reporting system for enhanced surveillance of zoonotic and other animal diseases”, according to the details of the scheme.

Funds will also go into upgrading 75 district and regional laboratories, 300 veterinary hospitals and training of 9,000 para veterinarians, apart from recruiting 5,500 veterinary professionals.

India has one of the largest national livestock populations in the world at 536.76 million, according to the livestock census, 2019, which is a key source of income of nearly 80 million farmers. Livestock accounts for 30% of the country’s gross value added, or GVA, in the farm sector. GVA is a measure of income that subtracts net taxes from gross domestic product, or GDP.

In 2022, the country battled a lumpy skin disease outbreak, which is estimated to have killed or emaciated nearly 300,000 cattle, hurting milk production and farm incomes.