- Research recommendations to safeguard interest of rural dairy farmers
- The thesis reflects his immense experience in handling livelihood issues of rural dairy farmers to ensure they get a fair share of consumer price.
- The thesis emphasises about the advent of Milk Producer Companies under the Companies Act
- The Govt may pay attention and consider adopting the recommendations made by Rath to safeguard interest of dairy farmers in backward areas having potential for milk production.
NE EDUCATION BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, DEC 2
The Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) Chairman Dilip Rath has been awarded a PhD degree in Management by the Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, for his thesis “Livelihood through Dairy Development by Inclusive Producer Institutions and Enabling Policy Environment in Select Regions of India”. The thesis reflects his immense experience in handling livelihood issues of rural dairy farmers to ensure they get a fair share of consumer price, says an IRMA release on Friday.
Rath’s research focuses on importance of dairying as source of rural livelihood and need of fair and transparent institutional structures for milk producers. His experience with dairy development in the country over many decades indicates that progress is achieved if producers get an assured market. It not only enhances income of dairy farmers, but also induces milk production and marketable surplus even in less developed areas.
His research also highlights the active involvement of government through appropriate schemes and policies, which created an enabling environment thereby providing the much-needed impetus to dairy development initiatives for sustainable livelihood.
The thesis emphasises about the advent of Milk Producer Companies under the Companies Act, which has largely addressed the issues and constraints faced by the traditional dairy cooperatives and proved to be effective vehicle for promoting dairying.
The Govt may pay attention and consider adopting the recommendations made by Rath to safeguard interest of dairy farmers in backward areas having potential for milk production. Absence of better livelihood opportunity is the major reason behind this socio-economic backwardness and dairying remains the only hope.
Rath did his graduation in Economics with Honours and completed his Masters in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Later he went on to do MSc in Economics from London School of Economics. He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1979 and served in different capacities under the State Governments of West Bengal, Odisha and the Central Government. He was previously Chairman, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt Ltd., Indian Immunologicals Ltd., NDDB Dairy Services, IDMC Ltd. and Pristine Biologicals (NZ) Ltd.
He was responsible for monitoring of the milk situation in the country in the context of inflation of essential commodities. He was closely involved in project conceptualisation and formulation of the National Dairy Plan. He acted as Mission Director in the World Bank assisted scheme, National Dairy Plan which was implemented by the Govt of India through NDDB. He was unanimously elected to the Board of International Dairy Federation in November 2020 during the General Assembly of International Dairy Federation (IDF).
Rath is Chairman of Institute of Rural Management Anand since July 2017.
Rath’s acclaimed research articles include – Prospects & Strategies for Accelerating the Growth of the Agriculture and Allied Sector in Odisha with Specific Reference to Dairying, Manure Management Value Chain – An Efficient Model for Doubling of Farmers’ Income, Solarizing Agriculture through Cooperative Model and Ethnoveterinary Medicine for Responsible Dairying.
