India’s dairy sector is not yet ready to be opened under Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), according to National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Chairman Dr. Meenesh Shah, who cautioned that exposing the sector to heavily subsidised global competition could threaten the livelihoods of more than 8 crore dairy farming families. He stated that while India is actively pursuing trade agreements with developed economies, dairy should continue to remain outside such pacts until the domestic industry becomes globally competitive.
Dr. Shah emphasised that India’s dairy sector is largely driven by smallholder farmers, unlike many developed countries where large-scale commercial farms benefit from significant government subsidies, creating an uneven competitive landscape. He noted that India’s priority should be to strengthen productivity, value addition, quality standards, processing infrastructure and global competitiveness before considering wider market access under FTAs.
The remarks reinforce the government’s long-standing approach of protecting the dairy sector during trade negotiations while focusing on sustainable farmer incomes and sectoral development. As India continues to expand its dairy production and export ambitions, the emphasis remains on building a stronger, more resilient dairy ecosystem capable of competing internationally on equal terms before opening the market to subsidised imports. (Fortune India)
Source: Dairynews7x7 21 July, 2026 Read full story here
#IndianDairy #NDDB #FreeTradeAgreements #DairyExports #DairyFarmers #MilkProduction #DairyNews