SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir produced 29.73 lakh tonnes of milk in 2024–25, accounting for 1.2 per cent of India’s total milk output, placing the Union Territory in the mid-tier of national dairy production, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
The data, shared by Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh, shows that while JK remains a relatively smaller contributor compared to leading states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, it continues to play a significant role in regional dairy supply.
At the national level, India’s milk production has shown steady growth, rising from 230.58 million tonnes in 2022–23 to 247.87 million tonnes in 2024–25. Demand is projected to reach 243 million tonnes in 2025–26, indicating a broadly balanced supply-demand scenario.
Jammu and Kashmir ranks 15th among States and Union Territories in milk production, contributing to India’s position as the world’s largest milk producer. Leading states include Uttar Pradesh with over 38 million tonnes and Rajasthan with nearly 37 million tonnes annually.
The government has attributed the growth in milk production to a series of targeted interventions focused on animal health, breed improvement and feed management.
Under animal health initiatives, the Centre is implementing the Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme, which provides 100 per cent central assistance for vaccination against major diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis. The programme also supports mobile veterinary services, with over 4,000 Mobile Veterinary Units operational across the country to deliver doorstep care.
For breed improvement, the flagship Rashtriya Gokul Mission is being implemented to enhance the genetic quality of bovines. The programme includes nationwide artificial insemination services, use of sex-sorted semen to increase female calf birth rates, and advanced technologies such as in-vitro fertilisation and genomic selection tools to improve productivity.
Feed and fodder availability is being addressed under the National Livestock Mission, which supports fodder seed production, infrastructure for processing and storage, and utilisation of non-arable land for fodder cultivation. Special fodder development plans have also been prepared for States and Union Territories, including Jammu and Kashmir.
The dairy sector is further supported through cooperative structures, which procure milk at remunerative prices and return 70 to 80 per cent of profits to farmers, ensuring stable incomes and market access.
To boost infrastructure and value addition, the government is implementing the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund with an outlay of Rs 25,000 crore. The scheme supports establishment of dairy processing units, cold chains, feed plants and related infrastructure, with interest subvention and credit guarantee support for farmers, cooperatives and private players.
The government said these combined measures are aimed at improving productivity, strengthening dairy value chains and enhancing income opportunities for farmers, including in regions like Jammu and Kashmir.
