Beyond the White Revolution: Empowering the Women Who Sustain India’s Dairy Future
World Milk Day 2026 Special Feature
By Dr. Tarun Shridhar
India’s dairy success story is often celebrated through production figures, cooperative achievements, and policy milestones. Yet behind every litre of milk produced lies the dedication, resilience, and hard work of millions of women farmers who remain the true backbone of the dairy sector.
On World Milk Day 2026, as the global dairy community celebrates the theme “Celebrating Women Farmers,” it is both timely and necessary to acknowledge a fundamental truth: India’s White Revolution was built, nurtured, and sustained by women.
The Unsung Architects of India’s Dairy Growth
Long before dawn breaks across the villages of India, women dairy farmers begin their day. From the hills of Himachal Pradesh to the deserts of Rajasthan, from the cooperative villages of Gujarat to the fertile plains of Madhya Pradesh, women are responsible for feeding animals, milking cows and buffaloes, cleaning sheds, caring for calves, preparing feed, and delivering milk to collection centres.
These daily activities are not merely household chores; they are the foundation of a sector that contributes significantly to India’s rural economy and national food security.
India produced 247.87 million tonnes of milk during 2024-25, compared to 146.30 million tonnes in 2014-15, registering an impressive growth of over 63 percent in a decade. Today, India contributes nearly 24 percent of global milk production, making it the largest milk-producing nation in the world.
Per capita milk availability has increased from 319 grams per day in 2014-15 to 485 grams per day in 2024-25, surpassing both the global average and recommended nutritional requirements. The dairy sector now supports the livelihoods of more than eight crore farmers and contributes nearly five percent of India’s GDP.
Behind these remarkable achievements stands a workforce that is predominantly female.
Women: The Real Workforce Behind Dairy Farming
Various studies indicate that women constitute more than 70 percent of India’s dairy workforce and perform between 70 and 90 percent of the labour involved in dairy farming.
From feeding and milking animals to managing calf care, maintaining hygiene, processing milk, and ensuring regular marketing, women undertake most of the operational responsibilities of dairy enterprises.
In many rural households, the woman is effectively the dairy entrepreneur. However, despite her contribution, ownership of assets, access to finance, participation in decision-making, and institutional recognition often remain concentrated elsewhere.
This disconnect between contribution and recognition continues to be one of the most significant challenges facing India’s dairy sector.
Lessons from the White Revolution
India’s dairy transformation owes much to the visionary leadership of Dr. Verghese Kurien and the cooperative movement that originated in Anand, Gujarat.
The cooperative model demonstrated that empowering small producers could transform rural economies. Women played a central role in this transformation by contributing milk, participating in village-level activities, and strengthening local dairy institutions.
While the cooperative movement created unprecedented opportunities for rural families, women’s formal representation within these structures often lagged behind their actual contribution on the ground.
As India enters a new phase of dairy development, this gap must be addressed with urgency and determination.
White Revolution 2.0: A New Opportunity
The launch of White Revolution 2.0 by the Government of India marks an important step towards strengthening the dairy ecosystem.
Key initiatives include:
Expansion of dairy cooperative societies across the country.
Strengthening the National Programme for Dairy Development.
Promotion of Women Dairy Cooperative Societies.
Implementation of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission.
Expansion of the National Artificial Insemination Programme.
Improved market access and infrastructure for milk producers.
These initiatives recognise that women’s empowerment and dairy development are not separate goals but mutually reinforcing priorities.
Challenges That Continue to Persist
Despite policy progress, several structural barriers continue to limit the potential of women dairy farmers:
Limited Asset Ownership
Many dairy animals remain registered in the name of male family members, restricting women’s access to formal credit and economic autonomy.
Inadequate Access to Credit
Women often face difficulties in obtaining institutional finance and frequently rely on informal lending systems with higher costs.
Extension Service Gaps
Veterinary services, advisory support, training programmes, and technology demonstrations do not always reach women farmers effectively.
Technology Accessibility
Mechanisation and labour-saving technologies remain beyond the reach of many smallholder women due to cost, awareness, and financing constraints.
Underrepresentation in Leadership
Women continue to be underrepresented in dairy cooperative governance, policy-making forums, and sectoral leadership positions.
Building a Gender-Inclusive Dairy Future
To unlock the full potential of India’s dairy sector, a more inclusive approach is required.
Policy frameworks should focus on:
Recognising women as primary dairy producers.
Expanding women-centric credit and insurance products.
Increasing women’s ownership of dairy assets.
Strengthening women-led dairy cooperatives.
Promoting women extension workers and veterinary professionals.
Expanding access to digital tools and dairy technologies.
Ensuring meaningful representation of women in governance and decision-making.
Such reforms would not only improve gender equity but also enhance productivity, profitability, and sustainability across the dairy value chain.
A Call for Recognition and Action
India stands at a critical moment in its dairy journey. Rising domestic demand, expanding global opportunities, and strong institutional infrastructure offer unprecedented prospects for growth.
However, future growth must be built on inclusion.
The women who wake before sunrise to care for livestock, nurture rural livelihoods, and contribute to national nutrition deserve far more than symbolic appreciation. They deserve ownership, opportunity, representation, and recognition.
As the world celebrates World Milk Day 2026, let us reaffirm our commitment to empowering the women who sustain India’s dairy economy every single day.
The White Revolution transformed India.
The next revolution must transform the lives of the women who made it possible.
This World Milk Day Special article has been authored by Dr. Tarun Shridhar, former Secretary to the Government of India and a distinguished policy expert in agriculture, livestock, and rural development. The article is being republished in Pashudhan Praharee with the kind permission of the author in the larger interest of promoting awareness on gender-inclusive dairy development and rural livelihoods.
Source: Originally published on 31 May 2026 in Krishi Jagran. Republished with due permission from the author.
