Cooperatives & Private Sector: Competing or Complementing?
India’s dairy sector stands on two strong but often polarised pillars—the cooperative movement and the private sector. Cooperatives continue to procure nearly 50% of organised milk, ensuring inclusion, scale, and price assurance for millions of farmers. The private sector, meanwhile, has driven growth in branded products, modern processing, and channel innovation. The debate is no…
Value added dairy products share may touch 45% in FY 27
Food Processing Sector Seen Growing 11–13% in FY26–FY27 on Value-Added Demand: CRISIL India’s food processing sector is expected to grow at a strong 11–13% CAGR in FY26 and FY27, up from ~10% in FY25, driven by rising demand for value-added products such as butter, ghee, paneer, curd and ice cream, according to CRISIL. A key…
FSSAI Crackdown Aims to Uplift India Dairy Quality Standards
India’s dairy sector is undergoing a regulatory inflection point with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) stepping up enforcement to tackle widespread adulteration, misbranding, and quality non-compliance across milk and milk-product supply chains. Recent actions by the apex food regulator signal a shift from passive oversight to active corrective and preventive measures…
Tight Milk Supply, Robust Demand Strains Indian Dairy Sector
India’s dairy sector is confronting tightening milk supply and margin pressure as it heads into 2026, according to a Systematix Institutional Equities expert session. The industry, which saw a temporary surplus in late 2024–25, has now entered a phase of supply contraction following multiple disruptions. Post-COVID challenges in 2022–23 saw milk prices fall below production…
Innovations in Dairy Processing: From Capacity to Capability
Dairy processing in India is undergoing a quiet but critical transition—from capacity creation to capability building. Despite being the world’s largest milk producer, India processes less than 30% of its milk into value-added products, compared to 70–80% in mature dairy economies. This gap represents the single largest unrealised opportunity in the sector. Innovation today is…
West Bengal Cabinet Approves Mother Dairy Calcutta–Banglar Dairy Merger
The West Bengal Cabinet has formally approved the merger of Mother Dairy Calcutta with Banglar Dairy, marking the end of the Mother Dairy brand’s independent existence in the state and consolidating dairy operations under the state-owned Banglar Dairy banner. West Bengal’s senior minister Chandrima Bhattacharya announced that the entire Mother Dairy Calcutta entity has been…
India Poised to Boost Dairy Exports As Milk Output Hits New High
Despite producing nearly a quarter of the world’s milk, India has been a marginal player in global dairy exports — responsible for only about 0.25% of global dairy trade even as the world market tops $33 billion annually. Official data shows India’s milk production surged to an estimated 247.87 million tonnes in FY25 and is…
Paneer Under Scanner as FSSAI Acts Tough
Is the loose, unpackaged paneer sold at local shops a genuine dairy product, or does it contain non-dairy substitutes? India’s apex food safety regulator has stepped in to ensure consumers are not shortchanged. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plans to introduce stricter norms to help distinguish between paneer made purely from…
Punjab Dairy Reels After Rs 20/- Price Cut Farmers Protest
Dairy farmers in Punjab have raised the alarm after the state government reduced milk procurement prices by ₹20 per kg of fat with effect from 21 December, a move that has sharply dented farmer incomes and confidence in the sector. The Progressive Dairy Farmers Association (PDFA) has written to the Chief Minister urging an immediate…
Dr Anil Kumar Srivastava Clone Man of India Passes Into History
Obituary: Dr. Anil Kumar Srivastava (1957–2025) With profound sorrow, the dairy and scientific community mourns the passing of Dr. Anil Kumar Srivastava, esteemed former Vice Chancellor of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, who left us on 24th Dec 2025. Dr. Shrivastava — widely revered as the “Clone Man of India” for his pioneering work…