Andalib Akhter / GREATER NOIDA
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has said that India’s share of the global dairy market will see significant growth in the years to come.
He said, this will benefit the small and marginal farmers of India and give them much needed supplementary income and contribute towards better nutrition for their children. Mr Goyal was addressing the World Dairy Summit 2022 in Greater Noida today. He asked International Dairy Federation to direct sustained efforts towards making small dairy farms in developing nations more productive, sustainable, quality oriented and profitable.
The Minister expressed confidence that in any analysis comparing India’s dairy sector to the mechanized dairy industry of the developed world, India would come out as a winner when it comes to sustainability. He also stated that many parts of the developed world were very sensitive to the concerns of the developing world when honest discussions were held. He cited as an example the negotiations India had with the bipartisan Australian government to sign the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA). The Minister recounted that when he shared the agony of the small farmers in India and the constraints and difficulties under which the dairy farmers worked, he experienced great sensitivity, deep understanding and immense appreciation for these farmers.
The Minister said that this reverence for nature was observable not only in dairying but also in our farming and fishing practices. He pointed out that this was one of the reasons behind India supporting nearly 17% of the world’s population and yet contributing less that 3% to the harmful global Green House Gas emissions. In this context, the Minister opined that relevant and cost-effective solutions for sustainability if offered to our farmers would be quickly adopted.
Observing that the farmers of India are very conscious of their responsibility to the environment, the Minister said that they intrinsically, by their very nature and philosophical thinking strongly believed in sustainability. Referring to the deep regard and reverence that Indians have for the divinity that exists in nature, Shri Goyal said that our dairy farmers have always been very conscious of the environmental impact of their occupation. He cited as an example, the extensive use of cow dung as manure which considerably reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides and for the production of fuels such as biogas. This, he said, was also an important contribution towards efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of farming.