New Delhi : Concerns are mounting within the country’s largest milk production organization, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Over the past few years, NDDB has been losing credibility, a crucial pillar of its values. Founded in 1965 by Dr. Verghese Kurien, the father of India’s White Revolution, NDDB now appears to be deviating from its original mission. This concern is further underscored by the organization’s lack of transparency regarding declining milk production data. According to the 2023-24 report from the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, milk production data for that period is notably absent, with only NDDB’s own figures presented. Here is a report.

NDDB’s 2023-24 Milk Production Report: Declining Trends

The 2023-24 report from the Ministry of Animal Husbandry & Dairying indicates that NDDB’s milk production reached 230.58 million tons. While this reflects an increase of 3.83 million tons compared to the previous year, it still represents a decline of approximately 2 percent, equivalent to about 4.6 million tons. Analyzing the last decade, this marks the largest decrease recorded. The decline has been evident since the 2019-20 period, with a consistent downward trend in the percentage of milk production.

Missing 2023-24 Report: Questions of Coordination Between NDDB and the MoAHD

When we looked for the 2023-24 report on NDDB’s official website, it was also missing; only the previous report for 2022-23 was available. This raises a significant question: is there a lack of coordination between NDDB and the Ministry of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, or is there some underlying conflict between the two? 

Discrepancies in Milk Production Figures: NDDB vs. MoAHD

Furthermore, there is a discrepancy in the milk production figures reported by NDDB and the Ministry of Animal Husbandry. NDDB claims that milk production for 2022-23 is 230.6 million tons, while the ministry reports it as 230.58 million tons. This means that, if we rely on the ministry’s data, NDDB has overstated milk production by 0.2 percent, which translates to an excess of approximately 461,200 tons of milk. 

NDDB’s 0.2% Increase: A Surprising Surplus Compared to 7 Sister States/UTs.

If we calculate the 0.2% increase reported by NDDB, it amounts to 461,200 tons of milk. A closer look at this data on a state-by-state basis reveals that this figure exceeds the total milk production of the Seven Sister States and three Union Territories, these Stetes/UT are Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep, it still represents a 0.2% surplus over the total production from these regions.

This indicates that, despite a decline in milk production at NDDB, the organization is presenting inflated figures. On one hand, the latest NDDB data is absent from the Ministry’s 2023-24 report, which clearly suggests a continued decrease in milk production for 2023-24, similar to what was seen in 2022-23. If this is the case, it raises concerns about underlying issues within the country’s largest organization for milk farmers that are not immediately apparent.