Commentary: Navigating Dairy Amid Geopolitical Headwinds

Despite the enduring complexity of India–Pakistan relations, current tensions have had little practical impact on the dairy sector, according to industry expert Prashant Thripaty. “Formal dairy trade between the two countries has remained negligible for years,” he notes, citing entrenched regulatory and political barriers.

India’s dairy industry, he explains, is increasingly oriented towards domestic modernization, innovation in value-added products, and export diversification—particularly to markets in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa. With a strategic focus on long-term partnerships in politically stable and regulation-friendly regions, trade with Pakistan remains neither a priority nor a dependency.

Nonetheless, Thripaty underscores a broader sentiment shared within the sector: “We in the dairy community always hope for peace and stability in the region. In the long run, such conditions benefit all industries and all people.”