Beyond Subsidies: A Digital Toolkit for Dairy Entrepreneurs

The Indian Dairy Association (IDA) successfully conducted a high-energy Farmer Session focused on Dairy Entrepreneurship and Voices from the Ground, in 52nd Dairy Industry Conference. The session brought together senior policymakers, cooperative leaders, industry experts, and progressive farmers to deliberate on the current and future challenges of India’s dairy sector.

The 90-minute session was moderated by Kuldeep Sharma, who set the context by highlighting three critical challenges confronting Indian dairying today—low productivity, stressed farmer incomes, and limited export readiness—while also mentioning the announcements related to Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with New Zealand, the European Union, and the United States.

Reflecting on the legacy of the Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Program (DEDP), Dr Harsh Bhanwala acknowledged its contribution in promoting dairy entrepreneurship across states, while also stressing the need for redesigned financing, stronger risk mitigation, and deeper handholding to meet the needs of next-generation dairy entrepreneurs—particularly through technology-enabled advisory and capacity-building platforms.

Mr Ashok Chaudhary , MD GCMMF shared the emerging strategies adopted by Amul across its 18 Unions to strengthen digital platforms for dairy entrepreneurs, aimed at providing end-to-end handholding—covering technical know-how, best farm practices, access to services, market intelligence, and linkages to finance and insurance. The discussion underscored the role of large cooperatives in balancing scale with farmer welfare while navigating rising input costs and market uncertainties.

A strong emphasis was placed on risk management and livestock insurance, with Mr Dhiraj Kumar candidly discussing low insurance penetration, operational challenges, and the urgent need to rebuild farmer trust through simplified products and faster claim settlement mechanisms. Climate-related risks—especially flooding, heat stress, and fodder disruption in states like Kerala—were highlighted as emerging threats to productivity and farmer incomes. Mr K S Mani  proposed the creation of a National Fodder Grid to address chronic fodder shortages, reduce regional imbalances, and insulate farmers from extreme price volatility.

Mr Shivaswamy, MD, KMF, talked about the federation’s farmer-centric initiatives, drawing attention to KMF’s extensive support programs in areas such as assured procurement, input services, extension support, and market stability for farmers.

The voice of the progressive dairy farmer Mr Aseem Singh Rawat, added a powerful ground-level perspective, highlighting challenges related to feed price volatility, animal health risks, access to affordable finance, and regulatory complexities faced by food businesses and farmers. The farmer underscored the operational challenges faced by food regulators in ensuring compliance across a fragmented and informal supply chain, calling for stronger awareness, capacity building, and practical guidance rather than purely punitive approaches.

Concluding the session, Mr. Sharma called for greater collaboration among dairy cooperatives across states as well as with responsible private players, stressing that India’s dairy future cannot be built in silos. He also highlighted the need to address state-specific challenges, including climate vulnerability in Kerala and limited awareness of scientific farm practices in emerging states such as Bihar, through coordinated national and state-level interventions.

The session witnessed enthusiastic participation from the audience, with strong engagement reflecting the relevance and urgency of the issues discussed. Participants agreed that India’s dairy sector must now move decisively from a production-led approach to an entrepreneurship-driven, income-secure, and globally competitive model.

About IDA: The Indian Dairy Association (IDA) is the apex body representing India’s dairy sector, committed to advancing sustainable growth, farmer welfare, and innovation across the dairy value chain.

Source : Dairynews7x7 Feb 13th 2026

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#LivestockDevelopment #farmersession #NationalFodderGrid