Beyond Productivity :Dr Shah Outlines Tech, Sustainability, and Co-op Strategy for India's Dairy Ambition

Pashu Sandesh, 31st May 2026

India’s dairy sector must position itself as a global leader through sustainability, technology, farmer-centric growth and cooperative strength, said Dr. Meenesh C. Shah, Chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), while addressing the “Manthan 2026” workshop organised by Banas Dairy.

Delivering a detailed presentation on the theme “India as the Dairy to the World: The Role of Banas Dairy as a Pioneer,” Dr. Shah outlined a long-term roadmap for transforming India into a globally competitive dairy powerhouse by 2047.

The workshop was held in the presence of Shri Shankar Chaudhary Ji, Hon’ble Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly and Chairman of Banas Dairy, Shri Sangram Chaudhary, Managing Director of Banas Dairy, along with senior officials and stakeholders associated with the dairy cooperative sector.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Shah said that India’s dairy strength lies in its unique smallholder-based “production by masses” model, where millions of rural families contribute to milk production through low-input, low-output systems. He noted that this decentralized cooperative model is increasingly gaining international recognition in the global sustainability discourse.

“Milk has emerged as India’s highest-value agricultural commodity, while dairy cooperatives continue to strengthen farmer prosperity, women empowerment and rural livelihoods,” he said.

The NDDB Chairman emphasized that improving productivity would be critical for achieving the goals of India’s dairy sector under the Vision 2047 framework. His presentation focused on scientific breed improvement, balanced feeding practices, advanced animal healthcare and indigenous genomic technologies including GAUCHIP, MAHISHCHIP and GauSort™️.

Dr. Shah also highlighted the growing importance of sustainable dairy practices and circular economy models being jointly advanced by NDDB and Banas Dairy. He underlined the role of manure management systems, biogas initiatives, compressed biogas (CBG) plants and renewable energy integration in building environmentally sustainable dairy infrastructure.

Presenting the broader Vision 2047 roadmap, he identified five strategic priorities for the sector:

- Enhancing animal productivity,
- Expanding the organised dairy sector,
- Increasing the share of value-added dairy products,
- Strengthening India’s footprint in global dairy trade,
- Ensuring sustainability-driven dairy growth.

In one of the most notable remarks of the workshop, Dr. Shah described Banas Dairy as “सहकारी डेयरी क्षेत्र की वर्तमान प्रेरणा और भविष्य का पथप्रदर्शक” (the present inspiration and future pathfinder of the cooperative dairy sector).

Praising the cooperative’s rapid expansion and innovation-led growth model, he said Banas Dairy could play a decisive role in achieving the objectives of India’s dairy Vision 2047 while guiding dairy cooperatives across the country.

He called upon Banas Dairy to take leadership in business persification, export-oriented infrastructure development, dairy nutraceuticals, advanced technology adoption and fodder self-reliance initiatives.

Dr. Shah concluded his address by reaffirming the strong partnership between NDDB and Banas Dairy and emphasized that India can emerge as the world’s dairy leader through quality production, technological innovation, nutrition security and sustainable cooperative development.

The “Manthan 2026” workshop was attended by senior dairy professionals, cooperative leaders, technical experts and stakeholders from the livestock and dairy sectors, and served as an important platform for discussing the future direction of India’s dairy economy.