17 September 2022, New Delhi: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Piyush Goyal today asked the International Dairy Federation (IDF) to direct focused efforts towards finding relevant, contemporary, practical and cost-effective solutions to make small dairy farms in developing nations more productive, sustainable, eco-friendly, quality oriented and profitable. He was addressing the World Dairy Summit 2022 (WDS 2022) of IDF in Greater Noida today.
He also urged IDF to explore the possibility of stationing a small team of experts in India to carry out research at the farm level, study India’s varied climatic conditions and come up with solutions that will help us align ourselves with the global standards and global emission norms. ‘I can assure you that India wants to be a part of the solution and not the problem’, he said.
Speaking of quality standards and sustainability, the Minister reiterated that India would very much like to become a part of the global efforts to bring down the impact of farming on global emissions. Drawing a picture of contrast between India where a large number of farmers with small land holdings are engaged in dairying and developed nations where relatively fewer numbers of farmers are engaged in production, the Minister called upon stakeholders of the dairy industry to find contemporary, relevant solutions to aid small farmers. Echoing India’s commitment to take the fruits of prosperity and development to each and every one of its 1.3 billion people during the Amritkaal, the period leading up to the 100th anniversary of our independence in 2047, Mr. Goyal asked for focused efforts towards making small farms profitable.
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.
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.
