Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Odisha’s dairy industry is expanding far more slowly than that of the other states, necessitating an urgent intervention by the state government to meet the state’s increasing milk demand and guarantee the financial advancement of the state’s poor and marginal farmers. Odisha ranked 18th out of 22 states in terms of milk production volume, despite being one of the top 10 states in the nation for the largest number of cattle. Compared to the national average of 444 grams per day, the state’s per capita milk availability is 144 grams.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) recently released an approach note that highlights the dire state of the state’s dairy industry. In the sectoral note on the dairy sector in Odisha, NABARD notes, “Even the per-capita milk availability in the state is quite low compared to the national average (444 g/day) as well as the ICMR recommendation of 300 gm/day from the basic nutritional requirement viewpoint.”
The Indian Apex Development Bank identifies a number of problems impeding the state’s dairy industry’s expansion. A number of dormant or less functional milk co-operative societies, a lack of veterinary services, a lack of fodder, a lack of timely Artificial Insemination (AI) service delivery, and low production capacity of the current cattle stock are among the major constraints described in the note. NABARD notes in its note that the majority of animals in the state are low-productive, citing the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying’s (DAHD) Basic Animal Husbandry Statistics.
According to the data in the document, the average yields per indigenous, nondescript, in-milk crossbred cow during 2021–2022 were 1.42 liters per day, 2.66 liters per day, and 6.76 liters per day, respectively. The average yield of cattle stock in Odisha was significantly lower than the national average yield of crossbred, indigenous, and nondescript cattle, which were 8.32 ltr/day, 4.07 ltr/day, and 2.83 ltr/day, respectively, during the aforementioned period. The report also reveals the absence of government backing for the state government-owned Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation (OMFED), which is the highest ranking Dairy Cooperative Society in the state.
