World's largest market for everthing dairy

India ranks among the world's largest and fastest-growing markets for milk and milk products.   The market size in value terms for milk and milk products, including the organised and unorganised sector, is of the order of US$47.6 billion (INR 200,000 crore), a base of 95-odd million tonnes, growing at nearly 7.5 per cent annually. India is not only the world's largest milk producer, but also the world's largest milk consumer.   Why is it important ?   According to most published industry reports, supported by our insights from talking to major industry players, the demand for value-added milk products in particular is already outstripping India's domestic supply. The reasons for this are three fold:   1. The Indian middle class (depicted below) is demanding a dramatically increasing supply of valued-added milk products due to changing lifestyles.   2. Approximately 45% of the milk produced in India is consumed as liquid milk, with only about 12% being delivered to...

Appetite for growth - agriculture and food processing sectors

India is one of the largest and fastest-growing markets for food and agricultural products in the world.   Agriculture is a mainstay of the Indian economy, accounting for about 18.5% of GDP. Some salient features of the Indian agricultural economy are as follows:   Overall, India is the world's third largest producer of food   India has emerged as the largest milk producing country, with annual milk production of over 100 million tonnes. This is expected to grow to 135 million tonnes by 2015.   The Indian retail market for fresh fruit and vegetables is estimated at US$35 billion. Organised retailing is US$73 million and growing at a rate of 30 percent.   India has vast resources of livestock, estimated at 485 million. In terms of population, India ranks first in buffaloes, second in cattle and goats, and third in sheep.   According to a recent...