India and the Netherlands have agreed to strengthen their strategic partnership with a renewed focus on the dairy sector, alongside cooperation in defence, technology, and allied agricultural industries.
As part of this collaboration, an Indo-Dutch Centre of Excellence on Dairy Training will be established at the Centre of Excellence for Animal Husbandry (CEAH) in Bengaluru. The announcement follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing visit to the Netherlands.
During the visit, Prime Minister Modi and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten signed a joint declaration between India’s Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. The agreement also formalized the establishment of the Indo-Dutch Centre of Excellence, focused on dairy training and knowledge exchange in Bengaluru.
Both countries have agreed to further explore cooperation opportunities in dairy, food processing, and allied agricultural sectors, with emphasis on innovation, sustainability, and productivity enhancement.
In addition to Dutch collaboration, Karnataka’s dairy sector has also been benefiting from support under the India-Denmark Green Strategic Partnership. Danish involvement has primarily focused on technology transfer, agricultural expertise, and sustainable dairy management practices rather than direct financial assistance to local milk unions.
A major area of Danish contribution includes cattle genetics and breeding, where Karnataka has leveraged Danish Jersey genetics to improve milk yield and enhance herd quality. The partnership also supports sustainable dairy farming practices through advanced feed management systems, food waste reduction, and eco-friendly agricultural technologies.
The collaboration further promotes knowledge exchange through scientific workshops and research partnerships involving the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science and institutions such as the National Dairy Development Board. These initiatives aim to strengthen expertise in food safety, dairy ingredient processing, and modern dairy management practices.
For financial support and grassroots dairy development, farmers continue to benefit from Government of India initiatives such as the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, which focuses on conserving indigenous bovine breeds, enhancing milk productivity, and improving profitability for small and marginal dairy farmers.
The National Dairy Development Board’s landmark Operation Flood programme remains the foundation of India’s dairy success story, transforming the country into the world’s largest milk producer while creating sustainable rural livelihoods and strengthening the cooperative dairy ecosystem.