The National Dairy Mela and Agri Expo–2026 will be held from March 6 to 8 at the mela ground of the ICAR–National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal, Haryana.
According to NDRI Director Dheer Singh, the three-day event is expected to attract over 50,000 farmers from states including Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, along with participants from West Bengal and Bengaluru.
Platform for Modern Dairy Technologies
The event will showcase modern dairy farming practices, milk testing technologies, and livestock management innovations. In addition to NDRI, several institutes under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research will display their latest research and technologies for farmers.
Insurance companies will also participate, advising farmers on schemes that provide financial protection against livestock losses, particularly due to animal deaths.
Competitions and Farmer Engagement
The mela will host a range of competitions and activities aimed at encouraging farmers and dairy entrepreneurs, including:
- High milk-yield competition
- Dairy animal beauty contest
- Cheese-making competition for rural women
- Women-only animal milking competitions
Around 500 dairy animals are expected to participate, and prizes worth ₹8–10 lakh will be distributed.
Special Focus on Women Dairy Farmers
To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, NDRI will invite around 500 women dairy farmers to participate in the celebrations and activities during the mela.
Advances in Indigenous Breed Improvement
NDRI has also launched India’s first genomic selection programme for Sahiwal cattle, using advanced DNA-based techniques such as Single-Step Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (SSGBLUP).
This technology helps identify superior bulls and cows at an early stage, allowing farmers to access frozen semen from elite animals for improved breeding and higher milk yields.
Recognition for Karan Fries Breed
The institute’s synthetic crossbred cattle breed Karan Fries recently received official national breed status on November 12, 2025, with notification issued on February 10, 2026, after more than 42 years of systematic breeding research.
Read More: Can Indian Dairy Grow Without Increasing Milk Production
The breed produces 11–14 kg of milk per day, and more than six lakh semen doses have been produced so far, leading to the development of over 10,000 cows in farmers’ fields.
NDRI has further accelerated genetic improvement using OPU-IVF technology, which recently led to the birth of Shravani, a cloned calf derived from the elite cow lineage of “Ganga,” in just 39 months, compared with the conventional 5–6 years.
Knowledge Sharing for Farmers
Through the dairy mela, scientists will also guide farmers on:
- Preventing animal diseases
- Improving breeding and herd productivity
- Using modern dairy technologies
- Understanding new government schemes
NDRI officials have urged farmers and livestock breeders to participate in large numbers to gain knowledge that can help improve dairy productivity and profitability.
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