Minister of State for Agriculture Charan Das Mahant has told Rajya Sabha that the country has had a great success in milk production and the success could mainly be ascribed to the efforts put in by the milk cooperatives.
According to the minister, the anticipated milk production during the period 2011-12 is 127 million tonnes. The growth rate of milk production has outpaced the demographic growth over the past 10 years, the minister added.
India happens to be the biggest producer and consumer of milk in the world, the minister noted.
The minister said while the current milk procurement in the country was 262.12 lakh kg per day, the marketing of it was 219.87 lakh litre a day.
Sources say, considering the surge in the demographic growth, the country would need 150 million tonnes of milk by the close of the 12th Five Year Plan.