10th–11th March 2026, AMA, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
“Innovating for a Sustainable & Profitable Dairy Future”
The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) organized the 5th ICC Dairy Summit 2026 on 10th–11th March 2026 at the Ahmedabad Management Association. The summit, themed “Innovating for a Sustainable & Profitable Dairy Future,” aims to explore strategies for enhancing productivity, strengthening infrastructure, promoting value addition, and accelerating digital transformation across the dairy value chain among the stakeholders.
Delivering the welcome address, Shri Pathik S Patwari, Chairman, ICC Gujarat State Council, highlighted that India’s dairy sector has emerged as a powerful driver of rural prosperity and inclusive growth. As the world’s largest milk producer, the sector contributes significantly to agricultural GDP and provides stable income to millions of small and marginal farmers. He noted that hosting the summit in Gujarat—birthplace of the White Revolution and home to the globally renowned cooperative movement led by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul)—is both symbolic and strategic, offering an ideal platform to discuss innovations and collaborative opportunities for the sector’s next phase of growth.
The session witnessed insightful deliberations from distinguished speakers. Shri Atul Rathi, General Manager, State Bank of India, emphasized the importance of financial inclusion and access to affordable credit for strengthening dairy infrastructure, encouraging entrepreneurship, and enabling farmers and dairy enterprises to invest in modern technologies and value-added processing.
Industry perspectives were shared by Shri Rajiv Gandhi, Managing Director and CEO of Hester Biosciences Ltd, who emphasized that strengthening animal health through disease prevention, advanced veterinary solutions, vaccination, and scientific herd management is essential for improving productivity and building a resilient, high-yielding livestock ecosystem.
From the government side, Dr.Falguni S. Thakar, Director, Directorate of Animal Husbandry, Government of Gujarat, discussed various initiatives aimed at strengthening animal health services, improving breed quality, and expanding veterinary infrastructure across the state. She underscored the importance of scientific breeding, balanced nutrition, and farmer training to enhance productivity and ensure long-term sustainability in dairy farming.
Highlighting the strength of the cooperative framework, Shri M. P. Pandya, Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Government of Gujarat, emphasized that cooperative institutions continue to be the backbone of the dairy ecosystem by ensuring transparent procurement systems, fair pricing for farmers, and robust supply chains that connect rural producers to national and global markets.
The summit also got enlightened from the strategic insights of Dr.Meenesh Shah, Chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), who spoke about the future roadmap for the sector. He emphasized the need to focus on productivity enhancement, digital transformation, climate-resilient dairy practices, and value-added products to strengthen India’s competitiveness in the global dairy market while ensuring higher incomes for farmers.
A key highlight of the summit is an exhibition showcasing innovations across the dairy value chain—from processing and cold-chain logistics to smart dairy farming, genetics, and digital technologies—while discussions emphasized climate-resilient systems, value addition, and technology adoption through collaboration among government, cooperatives, financial institutions, and industry. The 5th ICC Dairy Summit 2026, organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, aims to promote partnerships and innovation to build a sustainable, technology-driven, and globally competitive dairy ecosystem.
