80 percent of the world’s ghee is produced in India, out of which 20 percent is adulterated!

New Delhi. You must have read the news in which it has been revealed that the Tirupati Temple Trust was embezzled Rs 250 crore by selling about 68 lakh tonnes of fake ghee. This news has raised a question in the minds of people across the country whether fake ghee was being supplied only at this one place or whether fake ghee was being sold and bought indiscriminately at other places in the country too. Is the ghee coming to you and us also fake or can big brand ghee be bought blindly? After investigating these questions, many shocking facts came to light.

First of all, let us talk about the total production of ghee in India. You will be surprised to know that out of the total ghee production in the world, 78 percent is made in India only. Anyway, India is the largest producer of milk, hence the maximum amount of ghee is also produced here. Pakistan comes at second place and New Zealand is at third place. Now that the business of ghee is the highest in India, the business of fake ghee will also be the highest here.

How much is the ghee business in India?
If we look at the figures for the year 2024, it is found that the total business of ghee in India is about Rs 3.48 lakh crore, which can reach Rs 7.17 lakh crore by the year 2033. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) estimates that around 15 to 20 percent of the country’s total ghee business may be from spurious ghee. If we look at it in monetary terms, the annual turnover of spurious ghee can range from Rs 52 thousand crore to Rs 70 thousand crore. This means that the 68 lakh tonnes of fake ghee detected in Tirupati is a very small part of this entire business. If we look at the total counterfeit business of milk and ghee, it could be around Rs 5 lakh crore.

Where does most of the fake ghee come from?
Although campaigns are run across the country against fake ghee, but 70 percent of it is seized from UP, Gujarat, Haryana and Delhi only. FSSAI had recently launched a campaign against fake ghee and the maximum exposure was in Hathras, Agra and Sambhal districts of UP. From here, fake ghee was made and supplied to metro cities like Delhi-Mumbai, big temples and wholesale markets. In Agra, three fake ghee factories were also caught.

Big supply from Punjab-Uttarakhand
Apart from UP, many tonnes of fake ghee has also been seized from Gujarat. Last year, 15 to 20 thousand tonnes of fake ghee was seized from Indore in MP. It has been revealed that 68 lakh tonnes of fake ghee was supplied to the Tirupati temple from Bholebaba Organic Dairy of Uttarakhand. SIT has also revealed in its investigation that these dairymen used palm oil and other chemicals instead of milk to make ghee. Fake ghee factories have also been detected in Moga district of Punjab. AFSSAI and police data shows that every year 50 to 100 tonnes of fake ghee is seized in the country, which is a very minor part of the total business of fake ghee.