17 MILLION MISSING

India has missed as many as 16.84 million artificial inseminations of cattle and buffaloes during the two years of COVID-19 pandemic, shows an analysis by Down To Earth. This is likely to have a long-lasting impact on the country's milk production. An analysis by SHAGUN

- SHAGUN

IT JUST does not add up. India, the world's largest milk producer for over half a century, is struggling with runaway milk prices. In 2021-22, the country accounted for 221 million tonnes-almost a quarter of the global milk production, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Yet, milk prices are at an all-time high. According to the Department of Consumer Affairs, average retail price of milk has increased by 18.08 per cent in the past two years; a litre of milk now costs upwards of ₹58, as against ₹49.18 in 2021. In fact, since 2022-23, milk price rise has been driving overall food inflation in the country. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), an apex regulatory body for regional rural and cooperative banks, states in the May 2023 issue of its publication EcoFocus that the price rise is because of a sharp decline in milk production growth, from 5.3 per cent in 2021-22 to 0.4 per cent in 2022-23.

Amid reports of milk shortage and dairy products like butter and ghee missing from store shelves, Rajesh Kumar Singh, then secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), held a press conference on April 5, 2023. Singh cited two reasons for this stagnant supply: one, the infectious lumpy skin disease, which has infected 3.2 million cattle and buffaloes across the country in the past year and killed over 0.2 million animals; two, a rebound in consumer demand following the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.