ICAR and NDDB sign landmark MoU to strengthen research, innovation and capacity building in the dairy sector.
Photo Credit: PIB
New Delhi, January 12, 2026: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has entered into a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to enhance collaboration in multidisciplinary research, innovation, and capacity building across the entire dairy value chain.
The partnership will cover critical areas such as dairy production, processing, value addition, and value chain development, with a strong focus on empowering millions of dairy farmers, who are the primary stakeholders of the sector.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Raghuvendra Bhatta, Deputy Director General (Animal Science), ICAR, and S. Regupathi, Executive Director (Operations), NDDB, in the presence of Dr. Mangi Lal Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Government of India and Director General, ICAR, and Dr. Meenesh C. Shah, Chairman, NDDB.
ICAR’s DG highlighted the challenges of the agriculture and animal husbandry sector:
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Mangi Lal Jat, Director General, ICAR, underscored the Importance of breaking institutional silos and promoting complementary research to address complex challenges facing Indian agriculture and livestock sectors.
He emphasized the need for integrated farming systems to enhance climate resilience, improve productivity, and strengthen value chains.
Dr. Jat highlighted the importance of adopting gaushalas to address the issue of stray cattle and stressed the development of sustainable models for manure management and biogas utilization.
He also underscored the critical role of fodder availability in improving livestock productivity and stated that these initiatives would be driven by cutting-edge innovations and modern technologies developed by ICAR institutes.
Dr. Meenesh C. Shah, Chairman, NDDB, stated that the MoU has the potential to create one of the world’s largest platforms for integrated scientific collaboration, aligned with the national vision of ‘Viksit Bharat.’
He noted NDDB’s long-standing collaboration with ICAR institutes in missions such as ration balancing, mineral mapping, and total mixed ration programs.
Dr. Shah highlighted new opportunities for collaboration in ethno-veterinary medicine and expressed NDDB’s readiness to jointly address emerging challenges in the livestock and agriculture sectors in the national interest.
He emphasized the development of scalable and replicable models suitable for diverse agro-climate regions of the country.
He also pointed to expanded cooperation across value chains, including fruits and vegetables, oilseeds, fodder, milk, and milk products.
Translating research into field-level impact:
The MoU aims to synergise ICAR’s scientific and research expertise with NDDB’s extensive field-level experience and strong institutional capabilities to address challenges across the dairy value chain, particularly at the grassroots level.
Key areas of collaboration include knowledge sharing, technology development and validation, human resource development, and joint training programs for researchers, professionals, and farmers.
The partnership is expected to accelerate the translation of research outputs into practical, field-ready solutions, thereby enhancing productivity, profitability, and sustainability in the dairy sector.
The signing ceremony was attended by senior officials and distinguished representatives from both ICAR and NDDB, marking a significant step towards strengthening India’s dairy ecosystem through science-led, farmer-centric innovation.
EOM.