White Revolution 2.0

Context (IE): Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for ‘White Revolution 2.0’ were announced.
The idea of White Revolution 2.0 focuses on four key areas: Empowering women farmers, enhancing local milk production, strengthening dairy infrastructure and boosting dairy exports.
Objective: Increase milk procurement of dairy cooperatives by 50% (from the present 660 lakh litres per day to 1,000 lakh litres) over the next five years by providing market access to dairy farmers in uncovered areas and increasing the share of dairy cooperatives in the organised sector.
Funding: National Programme for Dairy Development (NDDB) 2.0, a new central sector scheme under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying will assist 1,000 Multipurpose Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Societies (MPACSs) at the rate of Rs 40,000 per MPACS.

The National Dairy Development Board was established in September 1965.
Shastri appointed Kurien as the chairman of this organisation.
It laid the basis for the Operation Flood program.
The Operation Flood contributed to India becoming the world’s largest milk producer by 1998.
Ajarpura was the first Amul Dairy Cooperative Society (DCS) to be registered on August 7, 1947. It played a crucial role in seeding the White Revolution.

Milk Scenario in India

India is the largest milk-producing country in the world, with production reaching 230.58 million tonnes during 2022-23. In 1951-52, the country produced just 17 million tonnes of milk.
Low average yield: Only 8.55 kg per animal per day for exotic/crossbred animals and 3.44 kg/ animal/ day for indigenous/ nondescript animals.
Regional disparities: Yield in Punjab is 13.49 kg/ animal/day, but only 6.30 kg/animal/day in West Bengal.
Per capita availability of milk: 459 grams/ day (higher than the global average of 323 g/ day).
Top 5 milk-producing states: Uttar Pradesh (15.7%)>Rajasthan (14.4%)>Madhya Pradesh (8.7%)>Gujarat (7.5%)>Andhra Pradesh (6.7%). Together, they contribute 53% of country’s total milk production.
Decline in the annual growth rate of production from 6.47% (2018-19) to 3.83% (2022-23).
Dominance of unorganised sector: About 63% of total milk production goes to the market, and about two-thirds of the marketable milk is in the unorganised sector. In the organised sector, cooperatives account for the major share.
Employment by the Dairy Industry: Directly or indirectly provides livelihoods to more than 8.5 crore people, mostly women.

Dairy cooperatives operate in around 70% of the country’s districts. About 1.7 lakh dairy cooperative societies cover around 2 lakh villages (30% of total number of villages) and 22% of producer households.
In Gujarat, Kerala, Sikkim, and Puducherry, more than 70% of villages are covered by dairy cooperatives.
Dairy cooperatives procured 660 lakh kg of milk per day in 2023-24; the government wants to increase this to 1,007 lakh kg/ day by 2028-29.
Cooperatives procure about 10% of the country’s milk production and 16% of the marketable surplus.

Also, read > Ways to Reduce the Production Cost of Milk.