New trends offer many opportunities for dairy sector: Expert

Chandigarh, Dec 2 (UNI) New trends in demand and supply chain offer many exciting opportunities for the dairy sector, Mark Voorbergen, a Dairy, Food and Agribusiness specialist from The Netherlands said here today.

Speaising at an international conference on ''Indian Dairy Sector Emerging as a Global Hub'' organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry in conjunction with Agro Tech 2006, he said India had distinct competitive advantages in dairy, which could be leveraged to enhance exports. Among the important milk producing countries, India has one of the lowest farm gate prices and it accounts for 16 per cent of global milk production.

Commenting on the growth potential, Punjab Minister for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development Jagmohan Singh Kang lauded the dairy scientists for their stupendous work and said farmers of the state have the capability to meet the rising demand for dairy products.

He urged the technocrats to come up with rational marketing strategies and a fair barter system so that the farmers could benefit ad valorem.

''These fairs bring enterprising farmers face to face with new technology which they can use for their betterment,'' he added.

In another interesting insight into the opportunities available, Mr Hans Wolff, Counsellor for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, emphasised the need for a cooperative structure mechanism between different participating countries through which an organised farmer market could be guaranteed.

He urged India to emulate the Dutch model of product diversification. Mr Wolff said that India could gain a lot from the Dutch experience as it has the means to implement the same methods.

Talking about the emerging opportunity for India in the global context, Dr B N Mathur of the National Dairy Research Institute and National Academy for Agricultural Research and Management said that India has the potential to play a much bigger role in world dairy trade. As it is strategically located in a 'milk deficit zone' it can explore wider market for its products. Information Technology and other new technologies must be used to give fillip to the dairy industry.

Revealing the latest trends for packing cheese, butter and yogurt in the world, Mr Andreas Kandt, Managing Director, IWKA Group, Germany while giving an overview of the various techniques used said that new advancements in technology will further improve the levels of cost effectiveness.

He said that the latest techniques are not only cost and time effective but also add a visual appeal to the products.

According to CII Chandigarh Council Chairman and Modern Dairies Limited Chairman and Managing Director Krishan Goyal, ''India must consolidate the gains made and gear up to meet the challenges ahead, while advocating the liberalisation of the dairy sector he urged the government to lessen the tax burden on the farmers.'' UNI DP JMK MQA VC2050