Women should be given easy loans, and market access to start dairy: President
President Droupadi Murmu urged on Monday that women be given easy loans and market access to start businesses in the dairy sector because this sector has a specific role in empowering women and altering their social and economic status.
Murmu noted at the convocation of the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal that women make up more than 70% of the dairy sector and play a vital role in India’s dairy industry.
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‘There is a need to ensure that women in the dairy sector have equal rights and opportunities to take on leadership roles with decision-making power, for which more opportunities in education, training, and skill development may be required,’ Murmu added.
She stated, ‘I want some of you to become job creators and entrepreneurs in the dairy industry,’ pointing out that more than one-third of those who obtained degrees are female, and half of those who received gold medals are female. She encouraged the pupils to always attempt to learn new things and work for the good of the community.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) director general Himanshu Pathak were among those who attended the convocation.
Institutions like NDRI play an important role in the country’s inclusive development, she said, adding that the Karnal-based institute has developed technology to produce clones of high milk-yielding buffaloes and cows, assisting the country in increasing animal milk production capacity and increasing farmers’ income.
Growing demand
Demand for milk products is increasing due to the country’s growing population, despite the fact that India is the world’s largest producer of milk, accounting for 22% of worldwide milk output. The dairy industry generates 5% of the country’s GDP and employs approximately 8 crore people in India.
‘The dairy industry is facing challenges such as a lack of high-quality fodder, weather changes caused by climate change, and livestock diseases.’ ‘We face a challenge in making milk production and dairy farming sustainable,’ she remarked. It is everyone’s job to grow the dairy business by implementing environmentally friendly and climate-smart technologies while keeping animal welfare in mind, she added.
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The President commended the scientists for their tireless efforts in promoting various solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farms and focusing on renewable energy sources such as biogas production. ‘The farmers of Punjab and Haryana played a critical role in the success of both the green and white revolutions.’ ‘I salute all farmers,’ she stated. According to Murmu, the dairy industry also plays a vital part in guaranteeing India’s food and nutritional security.
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