India's Dairy Shield: NDDB Chief Insists Small Farmers Need Protection from Global FTA Rivals

India's massive dairy sector, supporting over eight crore families, remains firmly off the table for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) competition, declared Meenesh Shah, Chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Shah emphasized that India's millions of small-scale dairy farmers are not yet equipped to compete with the heavily subsidized, large-scale operations common in major dairy-exporting nations, underscoring the government's steadfast commitment to protecting domestic livelihoods. This stance aligns with India's consistent policy across recent trade pacts with global partners. Union Minister Piyush Goyal has repeatedly affirmed India's position, ensuring no significant tariff concessions are offered in the dairy sector within FTAs, including those with the EU, UK, Australia, and the US. This protective approach is critical given that India's dairy landscape is dominated by farmers typically owning only two to three cows, contrasting sharply with foreign farms that manage thousands, benefiting from massive government support. Farmer organizations, like the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), have intensified protests this week against proposed FTAs, fearing an influx of cheap, subsidized imports would devastate local producers and rural incomes. While India has made some limited, quota-based duty concessions on specific products like Albumins and bulk infant formula in the India-New Zealand FTA, a broader opening remains distant. The NDDB is focusing on strengthening the domestic dairy ecosystem through cooperative models, digital transformation, and sustainable practices, aiming to boost efficiency and quality. This ongoing effort seeks to empower Indian farmers to eventually achieve global competitiveness, but for now, the national priority is safeguarding their existence against the uneven playing field of international trade.