World Milk Day observed on June 1 with theme Celebrating Women Farmers

Key facts

• World Milk Day is observed globally every year on June 1 to recognize the importance of milk as a nutritious food and celebrate the contributions of the dairy sector.
• The theme for World Milk Day 2026 is Celebrating Women Farmers.
• India has been the world's largest milk producer since 1998 and contributes approximately 25% of global milk production with an annual production of 247 million tonnes.
• India's dairy sector contributes around 5% to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and has a per capita milk availability of 485 grams per day.
• Gujarat is the fourth-largest milk producer in India, contributing 7.78% of the total national production with a per capita milk availability of 730 grams per day.
• Gujarat's livestock health and genetic improvement initiatives include affordable sex-sorted semen programmes, artificial insemination services, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) support for livestock, breed improvement programmes, and veterinary infrastructure strengthening.