India's Milk Demand Outpaces Supply: Heritage Foods

India's dairy sector is facing a widening demand-supply gap, with milk demand growing faster than production, according to Brahmani Nara, Executive Director of Heritage Foods, speaking at the Fortune India Most Powerful Women (MPW) 2026 summit.

She noted that although India is the world's largest milk producer, producing around 250 million metric tonnes of milk annually, supply growth is struggling to keep pace with rising consumer demand for dairy products. Brahmani emphasized that improving cattle productivity, farmer incomes, animal health and rural infrastructure will be critical to bridging this structural gap.

She highlighted that Indian cattle currently produce only 5–6 litres of milk per day, approximately 20–25% of the productivity levels achieved in developed economies. To address this, Heritage Foods supports farmers through subsidised animal feed and fodder, artificial insemination programmes, veterinary services and improved access to credit via partnerships with banks and NBFCs.

The company currently procures 18–19 lakh litres of milk per day from a network of around 6,000 villages, compared with just 20,000 litres per day when it began operations 35 years ago. Heritage Foods has grown to approximately ₹4,500 crore in annual revenue, with value-added products contributing 32.5% of revenue in the last financial year, and recently expanded its Nourish Plus portfolio with high-protein milk and paneer.

Brahmani added that strengthening domestic milk production should remain the industry's priority as India works to meet rapidly rising demand through coordinated efforts involving farmers, private companies and the government. (fortuneindia.com)

Source: Dairynews7x7 13 July, 2026 Read full story here

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