Dairy farming deals with various technologies involving milk and its products. Besides processing, storage, packaging, transportation and distribution, dairy industry also concerns with raising and breeding cattle. Due to scientific researches and modern technologies, the dairy sector has emerged to be one of the profitable professions for present day youths.
There are numerous milk products, some of them being produced in Indian subcontinent for centuries like ghee, dahi, mattha (buttermilk), Iassi, paneer, malai, kulfi, chhena, khoa, shrikhand and various types of sweets. In fact, India is the largest producer of milk in the world. Due to mechanization and automation of operations coupled with scientific researches, people all over the world enjoy broad range of milk products like cheese, cottage cheese, condensed milk, butter, yogurt, powdered milk, ice cream, custard, infant formula, quark, etc.
Milk and milk products come in the category of ‘most wanted food’; there is growing demand of young people to be inducted in this industry. Some years ago, milk production was a local issue and unorganised. Now it is well organised and attracting the youths and entrepreneurs for research, especially after Dr. Verghese Kurien’s white revolution in India. There is tremendous scope for large scale commercial dairy farming in India.
From hand-milking to fully automated robotic milking, the dairy technology has made tremendous progress. India is producing world-class milk products. Now consumers prefer branded products instead of homemade ones. Brands like Britannia, Nestle, Cadbury, etc., are very well in demand.
Management of dairy industry requires sound knowledge of selection, breeding and rearing of milk producing animals, and livestock production, besides modem technologies applied in this sector. Knowledge of bacteriology, biochemistry, nutrition, health care of animals, genetics and chemistry is equally desirable. Presently dairy industry is worth Rs. 15,000 crore, curtsey brand name Amul owned by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). In Gujarat itself, nearly 117 lakhs kilogram of milk was procured a day in 2013 so far. Apart from Gujarat, other states of India are also procuring milk to a great extent, especially Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. If present day youth think of potentialities of dairy technology, it is not difficult to get lucrative employment after getting degrees and training from agricultural universities spread over India. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) is facilitating training programme for dairy farming. There are numerous agricultural universities and institutes in India offering courses in dairy technology, dairy farming and dairy management.
Essential qualifications:
For pursuing undergraduate course in dairy farming, a candidate requires a minimum 55% marks in 10 + 2 with chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology and English as subjects studied. Admission shall be made on the basis of merit through All India Entrance Examination conducted by the Education Division, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. In many institutions, the eligibility for admission to most of these courses is on merit basis. Some institutes conduct entrance tests. The duration of the courses ranges from two to four-and-a-half years, although most courses are of four-year duration.
Undergraduate courses:
- B.Sc. in Agriculture: (4-year course)
- B.Sc. (Hons.) in Agriculture (3-year course)
- Diploma course in Agriculture (2-year course)
- Certificate Course in Agriculture Science (1-year) after Class X
- B.Sc. / B.Tech (Dairy Technology; Agriculture)
- B.VSc. (Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry)
Employment Opportunities (at the following bodies):
- The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)
- Delhi Milk Scheme
- Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF)
- Heritage Foods India Ltd
- Anand Milk Union limited (Amul)
- Gopaljee Dairy Foods Pvt Ltd
- Dairy Craft India Pvt Ltd
After doing graduation course in dairy related subjects, further qualifications (Master’s, Ph.D.) enhance the chances of getting better jobs, particularly in management sectors. Specialisation can be in various fields of dairy technology: dairy technology, dairy chemistry, dairy microbiology, dairy engineering, dairy extension education, food technology, genetics and breeding, dairy quality control, animal biotechnology, livestock production and management, dairy production, and many others.
Professional Institutions:
- National Dairy Research Institute (Deemed University), Kamal, Haryana. Web : http://www.ndri.res.in/ndri/Design/Index.html
- National Dairy Research Institute, Bangalore, Karnataka. Web : http://www.ndri.res.in/ndri/Design/index.html
- Sheth MC College of Dairy Sciences, Anand, Gujarat. Web : http://www.aau.in/college-menu/701
- Dairy Science Institute, Mumbai, Maharashtra. Web :
- College of Dairy Sciences, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Web : http://cdfst.ac.in/
- Dairy Science Institute, Mumbai, Maharashtra. Web :
- Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Web : http://jnkvv.org/
- Kerala Agricultural University (College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences), Thrissur. Web : http://www.kvasu.ac.in/
- National Dairy Research Institute, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Karnal, Haryana. Web : http://www.ndri.res.in/ndri/Design/Index.html
- Rajasthan Agricultural University, College of Dairy Science, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Web : http://cdfst.ac.in/
- West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, West Bengal. Web : https://wbuafscl.ac.in/
Placements :
Following companies hire dairy experts on a large scale:
- Almarai Company
- Britannia Industries
- ITC
- Mehsana Dist. Co-op. Milk Union
- Bihar Co-op. Milk Federation
- Nestle India
- SRIJAN India
- Amul
- Delhi Milk Scheme
