India’s daily milk yield has risen to 8 litres per animal from under 5

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The government is also looking to expand the economic value of dairying beyond milk production by promoting the utilisation of cattle dung and agricultural residue

By Avinash Nair

Updated - October 30, 2026 at 01:48 PM.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi | Photo Credit: -

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday highlighted India’s rising milk productivity, saying the daily average milk yield per cow or buffalo has increased to around eight litres from less than five litres in FY14, as the government looks to strengthen indigenous cattle breeds, improve breeding infrastructure and create additional income streams for dairy farmers.

Addressing a public meeting in Banaskantha, Gujarat, PM Modi said India was the world’s largest milk producer and its milk production was growing at the fastest pace globally. The expansion of the dairy sector had strengthened village economies and increased the earnings of farming households, he said. “The efforts reflect in milk production. In 2013-14, a cow or buffalo in India on an average used to give less than five litres of milk per day. This average has increased to 8 litres in the country,” he said.

The Prime Minister dedicated the Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre at Bhildi in Banaskantha to the nation. Spread across 127 acres, the facility is the country’s first dedicated centre for the Kankrej cattle breed and will focus on genetic improvement and advanced reproductive technologies. It will also support the conservation and improvement of indigenous breeds such as Gir, Sahiwal, Kankrej, Mehsana and Jafarabadi. PM Modi said the centre would help accelerate breed improvement by 10-20 times, strengthening the productivity of India’s indigenous cattle and buffalo population.

The government is also looking to expand the economic value of dairying beyond milk production by promoting the utilisation of cattle dung and agricultural residue. Modi laid the foundation stones for two Bio-CNG plants of Banas Dairy at Tharad and Radhanpur, with a combined cattle dung processing capacity of 175 tonnes per day.

“We want farmers to also earn from cattle dung alongside milk,” Modi said, highlighting the potential of biogas, Bio-CNG and organic fertilisers to generate additional rural income. He said dairy cooperatives such as Banas Dairy would play an important role in creating the infrastructure needed to achieve this.

PM Modi also said government policies and welfare schemes had helped farmers across the country earn or save ₹50 lakh crore over the past several years. Citing key interventions, he said ₹4.5 lakh crore had been transferred to small farmers through PM-KISAN, while ₹24 lakh crore had been paid to paddy and wheat farmers through minimum support price (MSP) over the past 12 years. The government had also spent ₹16 lakh crore on providing fertilisers at subsidised rates and disbursed ₹2 lakh crore in crop-loss compensation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana over the past 10-12 years, he said.

Under the PM-KUSUM scheme, 12 lakh solar pumps had been provided to farmers, reducing their dependence on diesel and electricity. Modi said this had helped farmers avoid the purchase of nearly 80 crore litres of diesel, while electricity generated through the pumps had added to farm incomes. He also highlighted soil health cards and the availability of quality seeds as measures supporting agricultural productivity.

Highlighting the growing participation of women in the rural economy, Modi recounted his interaction with women in Banaskantha earlier in the day who told him they collectively produced milk worth ₹2 crore annually. He also said women in the district sold honey worth ₹35 lakh every year. India’s honey production had doubled over the past 12 years, making the country the world’s second-largest exporter of natural honey, he said, crediting self-help groups with contributing to the growth of the sector.

The Prime Minister also launched a series of infrastructure and agriculture initiatives in Gujarat, including Banas Dairy’s expanded French fries processing plant at Sanadar, Ahmedabad Metro extensions to the airport and GIFT City, and the widening of the Ahmedabad-Mehsana highway from four to eight lanes at a cost of around ₹2,600 crore.

He dedicated 521 projects under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, involving a total project cost of around ₹4,950 crore, and released the 24th instalment of PM-KISAN amounting to ₹19,000 crore. He also marked the commencement of activities under 12 horticulture clusters covering around 1.46 lakh hectares, expected to benefit more than 1.3 lakh farmers, including potato-focused clusters in North Gujarat.

Published on October 30, 2026

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