Govt, Industry Call for Climate-Resilient Dairy to Protect Livelihoods, Nutrition

Government officials and industry leaders met on March 30, 2026, to address the impact of climate change on India’s dairy sector. During a national consultation titled “Pathways to Climate-Resilient and Productive Indian Dairy Ecosystem”, stakeholders called for a coordinated approach to embed climate resilience across the dairy value chain.

NABARD Chairman Shaji KV emphasised that climate resilience is now essential to safeguard farmer incomes. He noted that the sector must transition from vulnerability to sustainability through better access to finance, risk mitigation, and institutional support. Industry representatives also highlighted the need to move beyond fragmented pilot projects toward scalable solutions that ensure last-mile delivery of services and advisory to farmers.

Technical discussions focused on improving animal health and nutrition. Prashant Shinde, Commercial Director, Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health identified nutrition as the most critical factor for increasing productivity and animal health. In addition, V Sridhar of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) stressed the importance of empowering grassroots entrepreneurs and aligning public and private investments to de-risk the adoption of new practices.

Hisham Mundol, Chief Advisor for EDF India, stated that while solutions exist, the challenge remains in connecting them to farmers at scale. The consultation is part of the ongoing Resilient Dairy Alliance (RDA) initiative, which aims to foster partnerships between government, industry, and farmer institutions to create a more inclusive and productive dairy ecosystem.

The event was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII–FACE) and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

India’s dairy industry supports millions of smallholder farmers and is a primary source of national nutrition and rural income. However, the sector currently faces challenges from climate variability and resource constraints, which affect feed availability, animal health and productivity.

Varsha Joshi, Additional Secretary at the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, stated that the integration of the dairy value chain—including the monetisation of by-products like dung—is necessary to unlock additional farmer income and improve resource efficiency.

Climate Risks to Dairy

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, rising temperatures and erratic rainfall are already affecting livestock productivity and feed availability globally. In India, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has warned that heat stress can reduce milk yields significantly, underscoring the urgency of climate-resilient interventions across the dairy value chain.

Another report by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) published on January 20 revealed that climate stress is projected to reduce bovine productivity by around 25% over the next 5 decades. Already, 54% of buffalo rearers, 50% of crossbred rearers and 41% of indigenous rearers report climate-related impacts on their bovines.