The cost of milk
production in the country is estimated to be Rs.7.28 per litre.
This was stated by the Agriculture Minister, Shri Ajit Singh
in a written reply to a question raised by Shri H.K.Javare Gowda
in the Rajya Sabha today. The Minister said as per the study
conducted by the National Council of Applied Economic Research
in 1999 the revenue per litre of milk is Rs.8.95 leaving a net
profit of Rs.1.67 per litre which the Minister said is remunerative
to the producer.
Stating that the
country is one of the leading milk producers in the world with
an estimated production of 84.57 million tonnes during 2001-02,
Shri Ajit Singh informed that a new centrally sponsored scheme
is proposed to be taken up during the 10th Five Year
Plan for quality and clean milk production. Under the Rs.30
crore scheme necessary infrastructure will be created from the
farmers level upto the consumption points for the production
of quality milk and milk products.
Uttar Pradesh is
the largest milk producing state in the country with 16.5 million
tonnes of production followed by Punjab with 8.3 million tonnes
and Rajasthan with 6.33 million tonnes of production.
In a reply to another
question raised by Shri Ram Jethmalani and Shri Kapil Sibal,
Shri Ajit Singh informed that the country has 21.96 crore cattle
and 9.41 crore buffaloes, the highest in the world. As per FAOSTAT
Database 2002, the average yield of milk in the country is 945.9
kg per cow and 1431.2 kg per buffalo. The world averages being
2225 kg per cow and 1483.5 kg per buffalo.
