Gujarat to host India’s biggest dairy industry conference after 27 years

New Delhi: The Indian Dairy Association’s (IDA) 49th Dairy Industry Conference and Expo, which will bring together dairy experts and professionals from India and overseas, dairy cooperatives, milk producers, government officials, scientists, policymakers and planners, academicians and other stakeholders, will take place in Gandhinagar from March 16 to 18.

The theme of the 49th Dairy Industry Conference is “India Dairy to the world: Opportunities & Challenges”. It is being organised physically after a gap of three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic by IDA in collaboration with its Gujarat State chapter.

The inauguration ceremony of the Dairy Industry Conference & Expo will be held at 10:00 am on March 16. Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala will be the chief guest at the inauguration. Union Minister of state of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Dr Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, NITI Aayog member Prof Ramesh Chand, Gujarat’s Co-operation Minister Jagdish Vishwakarma, International Dairy Federation President Piercristiano Brazzale, and IDF Director General Caroline Emond will be the guests of honour at the inauguration. Meenesh Shah, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) will deliver the keynote address.

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will be the chief guest at the Indian Dairy Summit at 10:30 am on March 18. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister Parshottam Rupala, State Minister Jagdish Vishwakarma, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, NDDB Chairman Meenesh Shah and IDF President Piercristiano Brazzale will be the guests of honour.

“The Dairy Industry Conference is the biggest conference of the $10 billion Indian dairy industry. From being a milk-deficit nation, India has come a long way to become the largest milk-producing nation in the world. India has the potential to become the dairy to the world. The conference will discuss how India can make the most of the immense opportunities and the challenges it needs to overcome. What makes the conference even more special is that it is taking place in Gujarat after a gap of 27 years,” said RS Sodhi, President of Indian Dairy Association, the apex body of the dairy industry in India.

Meenesh Shah, Chairman, NDDB, said, “From humble beginnings to contributing almost one-fourth of the global milk production today, India’s journey has been phenomenal. We aim to become the dairy to the world but this can only be achieved through sustainability and ensuring dairying as a tool for nutrition to our customers and a source of livelihood for millions of dairy farmers. I am confident the deliberations at the 49th Diary Industry Conference will help us in charting a path to meeting these objectives.”

The conference will be a platform for dairy industry professionals to come together and discuss the global dairy trends, farm innovations, sustainability within the sector, climate change, nutrition, and health in India with the singular objective of making India a thriving hub of dairy innovations and solutions.

The latest technologies in milk production, storage, processing, and packaging solutions will also be on display during the three-day conference and exhibition. Awards will also be given in various categories to individuals and organisations for their contribution to the growth of the dairy industry.

Milk production in India was over 220 million tonne in 2021-22. Milk production is expected to touch 628 million tonne by 2047 due to increasing demand for dairy products driven by a growing population, higher purchasing power, and increased focus on nutrition.