Scale up India’s dairy cooperative model: Sunita Narain
India should expand its dairy cooperative model to strengthen livelihoods, food security and domestic markets, according to insights shared in The Sunita Narain Show. India currently produces about a quarter of the world’s milk, making it the largest milk producer globally, while the livestock sector has grown by around 7% over the past decade, second only to fishing and aquaculture, as noted in the Economic Survey 2025-26.
Unlike many countries where dairy production is dominated by large corporate farms, India’s dairy economy is driven by millions of rural households involved in small-scale dairying, a model pioneered by Verghese Kurien, widely known as India’s “milk man”. The cooperative approach distributes income widely by putting money directly into farmers’ hands, allowing them to invest in their well-being and increasing local consumption of milk and dairy products.
The model also keeps production costs low through household-level dairying and efficient use of local resources such as natural fodder and manure, while reducing dependence on costly industrial inputs like routine antibiotics. Experts say scaling up this decentralized, farmer-led cooperative system can boost farmer incomes, keep milk affordable for consumers, and strengthen domestic markets while ensuring sustainable dairy production in India.
Source: Dairynews7x7 March 6th 2026 Read full story here
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