SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | SDG 2: Zero Hunger | SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) | Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD)
As the world’s largest milk producer—contributing 25% of global output—India is undergoing a comprehensive digital overhaul of its dairy value chain. Led by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), this transformation integrates advanced technologies to enhance productivity, transparency, and traceability for millions of small-scale farmers.
Key pillars of this digital mission include:
National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM): Over 35.68 crore animals have been issued “Pashu Aadhaar,” a unique 12-digit digital identity that tracks breeding, health, and vaccination history via the “Bharat Pashudhan” database.
Automatic Milk Collection System (AMCS): Operational in 12 states, this system automates quality testing and ensures instant, transparent payments directly to the bank accounts of over 17.3 lakh producers.
Route & Logistics Optimization: By using GIS technology, dairy cooperatives are scientifically mapping milk collection routes, leading to significant reductions in fuel costs and transportation time.
NDDB Dairy ERP (NDERP): An open-source, web-based platform that manages the entire lifecycle of dairy operations—from milk collection to manufacturing and sales—without proprietary licensing fees.
What is ‘Pashu Aadhaar’ and how does it benefit farmers? It is a unique 12-digit barcoded ear tag assigned to livestock, serving as a primary key for a unified digital livestock ecosystem. For a farmer, it acts as a digital health passport for their cattle, allowing them to access mobile veterinary services (via the 1962 toll-free number) and prove their animal’s health and productivity history when seeking insurance or bank loans.
Policy Relevance
Digitalization in dairy is a cornerstone of India’s strategy to double farmers’ income and achieve the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision through tech-led agricultural growth.
Strategic Impact for India:
Formalising the Rural Economy: The integration of AMCS with direct-to-bank payments brings millions of informal dairy transactions into the formal financial system.
Enhancing Export Competitiveness: The end-to-end traceability provided by NDLM and SSMS (Semen Station Management System) ensures that Indian dairy products meet international food safety and biosecurity standards.
Data-Driven Governance: Systems like i-DIS (Internet-based Dairy Information System) allow for real-time benchmarking across 198 milk unions, enabling policymakers to intervene precisely where productivity lags.
Resource Efficiency: GIS-based route optimization and ERP-led waste reduction align the dairy sector with India’s climate goals by lowering the carbon footprint of the supply chain.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How will the DAHD leverage the ‘Pashu Aadhaar’ database to create a targeted ‘Livestock Insurance’ model that offers lower premiums for farmers adhering to the digital health and vaccination protocols recorded in the system?
Follow the full news here: Digitalizing India’s Dairy Sector