Despite being the world’s largest milk producer, India faces inadequate demand and unequal distribution, preventing milk from reaching all sections of the population.

Achievements in Milk Production

• High Growth: India’s dairy sector has been recognized for its remarkable growth. The White Revolution transformed India into the world’s largest milk producer.
• Ensuring Access: Despite high production, milk consumption remains unequal. Ensuring access to milk for the most vulnerable is now a key priority.

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Nutritional Significance of Milk

• Nutritional Benefits: Milk is a vital source of protein, calcium, and micronutrients. It plays a critical role in supplementing plant-based Indian diets.
• Impact on Child Growth: Research links milk consumption to improved child growth outcomes. Reduces risks of stunting, underweight, and other anthropometric failures in children (6 months to 5 years).

Inequality in Milk Consumption

• Access Disparities: Despite its benefits, milk access remains inequitable. Significant disparities exist based on income, geography, and social background.
• Consumption Gap: Household Consumer Expenditure Surveys (HCES) by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data reveals that top-income decile households consume 3-4 times more milk per capita than those in the lowest-income decile.
  • While lower-income groups have seen increased consumption, this growth hasn’t bridged the gap.
• Impact on the Poorest: The poorest 30% of Indian households account for only 18% of total milk consumption, despite making up a larger share of the population.
• Dairy Access and Nutrition: Wealthier households consume not just more milk but also access value-added products like cheese, flavored milk, and packaged dairy sweets.
  • Low-income households prioritize cheaper calorie-dense foods, which often leads to poor nutrition.
• Affordability Issue: Despite a strong dairy industry, affordability gaps prevent milk from reaching those who need it most. High milk costs push low-income families to choose more affordable options that lack the nutritional value of milk.
• Rural Concentration: Milk production is largely concentrated in rural areas, yet urban households consume about 30% more milk per capita than rural ones.
• Factors Driving Urban Consumption: Higher purchasing power in urban areas enables greater consumption of milk and dairy products.
  • Organized retail chains and supermarkets in cities provide easier access to processed and packaged milk. 
  • Urban diets are more diverse, incorporating milk in coffee, tea, milkshakes, and yogurt-based products.
• Challenges in Rural Areas: Despite producing most of the milk, rural populations consume less due to:
  • Lower incomes
  • Traditional dietary habits
  • Limited access to refrigeration
• Variations Across States: Milk consumption varies significantly across different states, influenced by dietary preferences, economic conditions, and dairy industry development.
• High Consumption States: Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat consume 333-421 grams of milk per capita daily. These states have a strong dairy culture, with milk being a dietary staple.
• Lower Consumption States: Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal consume only 75-171 grams per capita daily, well below recommended levels. Lower consumption is attributed to dietary traditions, economic constraints, and weaker dairy supply chains.

Challenges in Consumption of Milk

• Impact of Dairy Infrastructure: States with strong dairy cooperatives, such as Gujarat (home to Amul), have higher milk consumption rates. States with weaker dairy infrastructure face challenges in accessibility and affordability.
• Consumption Among Scheduled Tribe (ST) : Scheduled Tribe (ST) households consume 4 litres less milk per capita per month compared to General Category households. 
  • Many ST communities are from lower-income groups, making milk a luxury rather than a regular dietary staple.
• Cultural Dietary Preferences: Certain ST communities traditionally rely more on plant-based diets, where milk plays a lesser role in their nutrition.
• Challenges in Remote Areas: Many ST populations reside in remote areas with limited access to market infrastructure, making regular milk consumption difficult.
• NSSO Data Limitations: The NSSO Household Consumer Expenditure Surveys primarily capture at-home consumption, which does not reflect total milk consumption. About 50% of India’s total milk production is consumed outside the home.
• Out-of-Home Consumption: Tea and coffee sold in restaurants, tea stalls, and roadside vendors. Dairy-based sweets like rasgulla, gulab jamun, and paneer dishes consumed in eateries. Packaged dairy drinks and flavoured milk products purchased from supermarkets.
• Impact of Underreporting: The underreporting of out-of-home consumption distorts the perception of milk inequities, especially since wealthier individuals, who dine out more frequently, are not fully represented in consumption surveys.

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Policy Interventions by Government

• Integration : Government programs like Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (POSHAN) and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) should include milk provisions to enhance nutrition for children and mothers.
• Implementation Across States: States like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, and Telangana have successfully integrated milk distribution into these programs.
  • However, existing allocations remain insufficient to fully address nutritional gaps.
  • Chhattisgarh and other states have discontinued milk provisions due to financial constraints.
• Strategies for Improvement: To sustain and expand these programs, increased budgetary allocations and innovative funding mechanisms, such as social bonds and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, can play a crucial role.

Way Forward

• Milk Coupons: In regions with strong dairy cooperative networks, the government could introduce milk coupons for low-income households.
  • This initiative would enhance access to milk while supporting local dairy producers and reducing distribution costs.
• Awareness Campaigns: Awareness campaigns should highlight the health benefits of milk while addressing consumption imbalances across socio-economic groups.
  • Grassroots initiatives, such as those in Maharashtra and Bihar during Poshan Maah 2024, demonstrate the power of targeted education to improve dietary diversity.
• Outreach : Outreach efforts through Anganwadi centres, self-help groups, and healthcare providers can further enhance nutrition literacy among women, who play a key role in household food decisions.
• Curbing Overconsumption: While addressing undernutrition is critical, it’s also essential to curb overconsumption of high-fat dairy in affluent households.
  • Inspired by the UK’s Change4Life Sugar Swaps campaign, India could implement similar public health initiatives to promote balanced dairy consumption.
• Collaborations: Collaborations with doctors, influencers, and media campaigns can shift consumer behavior, making milk more affordable and accessible for vulnerable populations.

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Conclusion

By addressing these disparities and prioritising equitable access, India can fulfil Verghese Kurien’s vision of a nutritionally secure nation.

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