Mozzarella momentum: India’s dairy industry steps onto the world stage
India's mozzarella cheese exports have surged over 1200%, driven by rising global demand for pizza and the country's large buffalo population, which offers a competitive edge. The inclusion of mozzarella in the PLI scheme has boosted its production and export.
New Delhi: India is emerging as an unexpected player in the global mozzarella market, upending a space long dominated by Western suppliers. The surge comes even as several trading partners continue pressing New Delhi for greater access to India’s dairy market, including cheese, as part of ongoing negotiations, according to government trade data reviewed by Mint.
Exports of mozzarella jumped from nil in FY23 to $0.71 million in FY24 and $2.29 million in FY25, and the momentum has strengthened this year. Shipments reached $3.29 million in April–September 2025, marking an over 1,200% increase year-on-year, the data showed. India’s overall dairy exports were at $493 million in FY25, up 80% from the previous fiscal year.
Analysts attribute the rise to booming global pizza demand, the competitive pricing and texture of buffalo-milk mozzarella—the preferred cheese for pizza—and recent investments spurred by the government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. These are early signs that India’s dairy sector is starting to move up the value chain even as Europe, the US and New Zealand continue to dominate the global cheese trade.
In India, mozzarella is largely made from buffalo milk, which gives it a firmer texture and higher fat content compared to cow-milk variants, said Tarun Shridhar, former secretary, animal husbandry & dairying and director general of the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA).
With the world’s largest buffalo population, India holds a natural advantage in producing this variety, and exporters say the quality of buffalo-milk mozzarella is increasingly being recognized in the overseas markets.
A key boosting factor is the government's decision to include mozzarella under its PLI scheme in 2021, which encouraged dairy firms to expand capacity and upgrade technology, said a government official.
For instance, Amul has invested ₹200 crore to manufacture and export buffalo-milk mozzarella. The company had announced this plan in 2021.
“India now has surplus capacities in cheese, and our prices for butter and cheese are competitive in the global dairy commodity market," said Rupinder Singh Sodhi, president of the Indian Dairy Association and former managing director of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul).
“There is increased demand for dairy products from countries in the Middle East, African markets such as Morocco and Egypt, and also from Georgia," said Sudarshan Patil, manager–finance at Maharashtra-based Sonai Dairy. The company exports cheddar cheese to these countries.
Mozzarella has proved easier for Indian companies to export than cheddar, which requires longer ageing, higher storage costs and stronger branding. Buffalo-milk mozzarella, in contrast, offers India a differentiated product in a fast-growing global market, said Shridhar.
The key exporters of mozzarella include Amul, Milky Mist and Schreiber Dynamix.
India mainly exports mozzarella to Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Bhutan and Bahrain. Saudi Arabia has emerged as the largest buyer, importing Indian mozzarella worth $2.38 million in April–September 2025, compared to zero imports a year ago. It is followed by Sri Lanka, whose imports rose to $0.47 million in the first half of FY26 from $0.07 million a year ago, and Bangladesh at $0.14 million.
Boost for India's dairy prospects
This signals bright prospects for the sector. “Mozzarella is still a very small export segment for India, but the recent spike shows early signs of how value-added dairy products can find space in global markets," said Ajay Srivastava, co-founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative.
“The surge in mozzarella exports shows that India’s dairy sector is finally moving up the value chain," said Binod Anand, founder-president of the World Cooperation Economic Forum, a cooperatives-led platform. “Cooperatives have the capacity to compete globally when they invest in technology and quality systems, and this momentum in value-added dairy products is a clear sign of what is possible."
In overall dairy exports, India has made limited progress despite being the world’s largest milk producer. Its dairy exports account for only around a quarter of one percent of global dairy trade, and most of the shipments are still in low-value categories such as milk powder and casein, rather than branded cheese.
In FY24, India exported dairy products worth $272.64 million, with volumes of 63,738.47 tonnes. In FY25, dairy exports rose to $492.9 million, with volumes increasing to 113,350.4 tonnes.
India exported about 67,573 tonnes of dairy products in FY23, valued at $285 million. In FY24, these exports were at about 63,738 tonnes, with a value of $273 million. For FY25, they rose to 113,350 tonnes and a value of $493 million.
India Ratings projects India’s milk output to grow 5% annually in the near- to medium-term. From 251 million tonnes in FY25, production can go up to 263 million tonnes in FY26 and 277 million tonnes in FY27, it said.
According to the 20th Livestock Census 2019, India's cow population is 145.12 million, while buffalo is estimated at 109.85 million, the world's highest.
India had launched its PLI scheme for food processing in 2021 with an outlay of ₹10,900 crore for a period of six years, FY22-FY27. It aimed to boost value-added production, modernise processing facilities and help Indian food brands expand their presence in global markets.
The scheme provides sales-based incentives and support for branding abroad, and covers categories such as ready-to-eat foods, marine products, processed fruits and vegetables, organic foods and dairy, including mozzarella cheese.
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