Monthly per capita dairy consumption in India 2016, by value and type
The demand and supply for milk in India
With over 176 million metric tons of production in fiscal year 2018, India was one of the world’s leading producers of milk. This was not different for consumption - Indians recorded over 66 million metric tons, compared to the EU’s 33 million in 2018. This consumption was most prominent in north-west India.
The reason India produced and consumed such large amounts of milk was because of the triumph of India’s dairy industry . The import of European cows and the resulting crossbreeds from local varieties of the animal, along with the successful sourcing of milk from small famers through cooperatives lead to this boom.
Amul – the taste of India
One of the biggest examples of cooperative-farming success is Amul – the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Limited formed in 1946. Amul was the catalyst to India’s White Revolution – which made the country foremost in milk production, introducing western practices to treat and store fresh milk for longer shelf life. The cooperation in Anand, Gujarat was the largest food brand in the country with overseas ventures.
Amul’s butter brand was arguably one of the most popular advertisements, spanning decades with its Amul butter girl cartoon. She was pasted on billboards across the country commenting on day-to-day issues and the political climate. This has been the longest running campaign according to the Guinness book of world records since 1966.