DAIRY INDUSTRY WILL REMAIN AS AN IMPORTANT COMPLIMENT AND NOT TO BE PERCEIVED AS A PARENT OR SUBSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE

 

DAIRY INDUSTRY WILL REMAIN AS AN IMPORTANT COMPLIMENT AND NOT TO BE PERCEIVED AS A PARENT OR SUBSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE

       In recent times I have been reading some articles and statements of some people, supposed to be the Pandits (meaning in English: Learned persons) of Dairy Industry and vouching to say, the Agriculture can be driven in the Dairy way. Also, statements being made by such pandits that Rice and Wheat cultivation could be diverted to oilseeds and pulses because we have got surplus of rice and wheat and deficit in Oil (edible oil ) and Pulses that are imported. 

Such articles and statements being made when the Nation is going through an unprecedented crisis, in my opinion are not responsible and also not right. Our self sufficiency of Rice and Wheat in India should be no one's envy or eye sour. Still today, more than 80 million ( 800 lakhs ) people of India, as reported in records, remain in hunger and do not get the staples of Rice and Wheat in their Stomach daily. India is still not a Hunger Free Nation. We have surplus of Rice and Wheat production, admitted, however still we have not been able to feed more than 80million heads daily with wheat and rice, that must be worked on before saying divert Rice and Wheat cultivation to oilseeds and pulses. No one can survive drinking only milk all the time and full time, or by drinking edible oils, though pulses have to be part of human diet may be 20-25% of our intake by weight to meet our essential protein need ( protein also can come from milk ). 

However, campaigning to divert wheat and rice cultivation, that are our major staple foods would amount to ditching our food security of the nation, painstakingly achieved over more than 7-decades ( not withstanding the fact I said we still need to eradicate hunger of more than 80 million people ). Dairy is important but it is compliment and interdependent to Agriculture and can never be postulated to be the Parent or Substitute of Agriculture; it has to be understood rightly and with prudency. Whatever success we have achieved in the Dairy Industry is on a different footing and can not be said as the whole sale guide for our Agriculture from today. Some principles of Dairy Industry that has led to success can be applicable to Agriculture, however, can not be Driving Idea wholesale for Agriculture in India. I need not say in micro details, it is known. Similarly, it is not right to say that the Farmers of Rice and Wheat cultivation should shift to Oilseed and Pulses cultivation, it is suicidal statements being made in this line without knowing the consequences. Do those pandits want to push the farmers to a cobweb of farming and get into a vicious cycle of history not being able to get an exit window out of it. It will be suicidal and a great disservice for the Nation to demotivate the Rice and Wheat Farmers to abandon its cultivation which are our Staple Food of the Indian People and it will push the country to lose its Food Security. We have seen Bengal Famine and a host of famines in the country in the past, people without getting loafs of bread or a bowl of rice and meeting fatal ends when we had no food security of the staples. No one denies that we import large quantum of Edible Oils and Pulses. 

We have to motivate and encourage the cultivators with attractive incentives rather to go for additional cultivation of Pulses and Oilseeds to lead to self sufficiency or close to self sufficiency in these crops, do import substitution and save in forex expenses, but not at the cost of our Rice and Wheat cultivation. Why it is not being advocated by the said pandits to encourage and motivate the cultivators to grow more and additional Pulses and Oilseed crops not tampering the Rice and Wheat cultivation? The Rice and Wheat cultivators have to be kept in good humour so as to retain and continue our food security, and damaging their motivation to shift to other cash crops will be, as said above suicidal and detrimental action for the Nation. 

Dairy Industry would continue to remain a stand alone industry in India by whatever success it has reached by whatever efforts and its issues or strengths of operation, should not be mixed with Agriculture by making incorrect statements to complicate the subject of Agriculture or Rice and Wheat cultivation or for that matter any other cropping under it. Oilseeds activity was undertaken in a big way, it is known, it had gathered steam however the steam got lost due to lack of continued will, some state oil federations have remained idle and dormant for about 30years and some oilseed federations were dismantled and sold off. 

The Dairy Industry of India is also right now directionless, whether to go by Co-operative Route, by Private Sector Route or Mixed Route what I mean, the focus has been lost. The Spectacles of Dairy Industry will remain with it and the Dairy Industry also needs its bold consolidation as in last few years as I said it has gone direction less due to bold will and intentions that has been lost after departing of the prominent Leaders of Dairy Industry like Dr. V. Kurien. Some business doing well or enhancing some business in a sector can be said a success admittedly, however, it is not pan-National and the Nation needs the Dairy Industry to be consolidated as the self sufficiency in Dairy Industry or largest producer status can also go for a sixer if not attended and encouraged with focus appropriately, it has to be also retained with bold and prudent actions and not to leave it in casual manner in casual hands. Let me remind that Holland and Denmark were also Dairy Leaders of their times and scale as per their size. 

The Spectacles of Dairy industry are not fully applicable to Agriculture, it will remain as good compliment as I said. Similarly damaging statements or initiatives to discourage Rice and Wheat cultivation in India would be irresponsible. What we are deficient whether Edible Oils or Pulses or any thing for that matter can be thought for additional measures to overcome and lead towards self sufficiency without tampering and fingering the Rice and Wheat cultivators in the wrong way. When there is an unprecedent crisis in the country every statement to be made has to be responsible whether anyone is a Pandit by some position/chair or may be a lay man. This is my individual view and thoughts expressed in this post strongly came to my mind, after reading some statements and articles in the internet. Placed here for consideration of all.

About the Author : Dr. Nimain Charan  Biswal is a B.Sc.(Agri. Science and Technology), M.B.A. and Ph.D.(Management Area ) by qualifications and he has 35 years of work experience in both  industrial and development sectors in diversified fields of social importance. He has been educated at Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT)-Bhubaneswar, Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) and Gujarat University (with Resource Support of IIM-Ahmedabad). Dr.Biswal is further educated at IIM-Calcutta, XLRI-Jamshedpur, Apple Computer Industries and Spar Inc., USA. He has worked for reputed National and International Organisations in Senior/Top Management Capacities. He is a management expert covering extensive areas from management in agriculture, industrial management, development management to management of public systems. He is a prominent professional of India and known Internationally as well. He lives at Mumbai in India.