Dairy Development Authority (DDA) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), that was created under the Dairy Industry Act of 1998 with the mandate to develop and regulate the dairy industry in a sustainable manner.
DDA traces its roots to the Dairy Master Plan of 1993.  In this Dairy Master Plan three major recommendations were made;

1. Dairy sector should be liberalized
2. A Dairy Board should be created to oversee the liberalized industry
3. The Dairy Corporation should be restructured into a commercial company and be divested.

Operationalisation of the Dairy Master Plan saw the Dairy Industry Act (DIA) 1998 enacted by Parliament and Dairy Development Authority (DDA) established.  Operations of the Dairy Development Authority began in June 2000.

Dairy Development Authority performs regulatory and dairy development services for stakeholders in the dairy sector. The Authority has a staff complement of 39 and comprises of two core departments; dairy development and regulatory services departments with the finance and administration department performing a support function.

The dairy development function supports the development of the dairy sector into a sustainable, competitive and vibrant sector as well serving as an advisor to government on dairy industry development policies and legislative measures in respect to the provision of linkages between research, extension staff and support to dairy farmers.

Regulatory services function also forms the development component as well offering a basis for policy and advocacy activities in terms of evidence based, appropriate, affordable and culturally sensitive dairy practices.

Finance and Administration services supports initiatives to collect revenues which maintain high standards of services such as, development of technology based dairy practices, enforcement of dairy standards and guidelines, capacity building and improving supervisory systems.