Women Dairy Farmers’ Perspectives towards Milk-Based Value-Added Practices

Women have long served as the backbone of Indian agriculture, particularly in dairy farming, where their contributions significantly shape rural livelihoods. With the growing focus on value-added dairy products (VADPs), there is immense potential to enhance women’s economic empowerment and strengthen the rural economy. The share of VADPs in India’s milk and milk derivatives segment is increasing at an annual rate of 15-30%, with curd, ghee, and paneer emerging as major growth drivers. According to APEDA (2023-24), India exported 63,738.47 MT of dairy products worth ̀ 2,260.94 crore (US$ 272.64 million), highlighting the sector’s expanding global footprint. This study critically examines rural women’s perceptions toward value-added dairy products in Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh. A descriptive research design was adopted, and a multi-stage random sampling technique was employed to select 150 women actively engaged in dairy farming and milk processing across five randomly chosen blocks. Primary data were complemented with secondary sources from relevant literature. Findings revealed that the perception parameter “enhancing women’s social and economic status” ranked highest (WMS = 4.04), followed by dissatisfaction with prices received for VADPs (WMS = 3.73). Lack of marketing information, importance of packaging and branding, and stable income generation also emerged as significant factors influencing women’s participation. The results score revealed that promoting VADPs not only uplifts women’s socio-economic conditions but also contributes to reducing milk wastage and enhancing India’s competitiveness in the global dairy sector.