President Droupadi Murmu stated that the dairy industry has a specific role in empowering women and improving their social and economic standing. Speaking at the National Dairy Research Institute's (ICAR-NDRI) graduation ceremony, President noted that women make up over 70% of the dairy industry and that they should be given easy access to credit and the market to start new businesses.
President asserted that India's dairy business benefits greatly from the influence of women. According to her, "the dairy sector has a special role in changing women's social and economic status as well as helping them become self-reliant."
More possibilities for education, training, and skill development are thus required for them. She said that women should have access to markets and simple financing to start businesses in the dairy industry.
The President expressed his delight that 50% of the students who got gold medals and more than one-third of those who obtained degrees at the convocation ceremony were female. He also congratulated the students who received degrees and medals. 544 students got their degrees at the ceremony. President claimed that as the nation's population grows, so does the need for dairy products.
"The availability of high-quality feed, weather changes brought on by climate change, and animal illnesses are issues that the dairy industry must contend with. Our challenge is to make milk production and dairy farming sustainable.
“All of us have to advance the dairy business by using environmentally and climatically responsible technology while keeping animal welfare in mind”, she added.
The President expressed her satisfaction at being informed that the NDRI is pushing several solutions to lower greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farms and concentrating on sustainable energy sources including biogas generation.
"The farmers of Punjab and Haryana were particularly important to the achievement of the white and green revolutions. I thank every farmer," she stated. Indian cuisine and culture have traditionally included milk and milk products. She asserted that cow's milk is likewise regarded as the nectar of health, alongside mother's milk.
She continued by saying that cows and other livestock have always played a significant role in Indian culture and traditions.
According to President, the dairy sector is crucial to guaranteeing India's food and nutritional security. She said it was an issue of pride that India, which produces about 22% of the world's milk, is the largest producer in the world.
"The dairy industry supports over eight crore families in India and contributes 5% to the GDP of the nation. As a result, organizations like ICAR-NDRI are crucial to the nation's inclusive growth, according to the speaker. She claimed that since its establishment in 1923, the NDRI has significantly aided India's dairy sector in its development.
She mentioned how the NDRI has created a method to create clones of high milk-producing cows and buffaloes, saying that this will boost the milk production capacity of the animals and raise the farmers' income. President advised the students to always seek out fresh knowledge and work for the betterment of society.
She urged some of the students to start their businesses and create jobs in the dairy sector. The event was also attended by the governor of Haryana, Bandaru Dattatreya, the chief minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, the minister of agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar, and the minister of state, Parshottam Rupala.
