Assam government has signed an MoU with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to create a Rs 2000-crore joint venture for development of dairy farming in the state.
Taking part at the MoU signing ceremony at Sankardev Kalashetra in Guwahati on January 7, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the joint venture will target processing of 10 lakh litres of milk through 6 new milk processing units in the next 7 years. “This would benefit more than 1.75 lakh dairy farmers of Assam and increase their earnings,” he informed.
The chief minister termed the day as historic which will transform the dairy sector in Assam. The MoU would herald a new era of rural economic development by augmenting dairy sector development and generating livelihood opportunities, Sarma said.
The MoU was signed in presence of Union minister of fisheries, animal husbandry & dairying, Parshottam Rupala, along with Assam minister Atul Bora. It was signed by Meenesh Shah, chairman at NDDB and Maninder Singh, additional chief secretary, department of cooperation, Assam.
Under this MoU, two cattle-feed and organic manure manufacturing units would also be set up. Import of high yielding cattle breeds and artificial insemination would also be taken up. Foundation stone of expansion project of Purabi Dairy was also laid today which would increase its production capacity from 60,000 to 1.5 lakh litres per day. The expansion of the plant at Panjabari in Guwahati will enable Purabi Dairy to increase the production capacity of existing line of products as well as introduce new products like indigenous sweets, ice cream, flavoured milk etc.
Saying that dairy farmers would be provided subsidy for market price fluctuation of their produce, the chief minister urged all dairy cooperatives must engage in healthy competitions for economic growth of Assam and they would be helped by the state government. He also stressed on multi cropping and diversification of agricultural practices with hard work and dedication.
“With this project, the mission of Aatmanirbhar Assam begins in real earnest and we are confident of minimising our reliance on other states for milk and other food products. With growth of GDP and per capita income in Assam, people’s spending on meat, milk products etc have increased and Assam must become self-reliant in meeting its own requirement without depending on other states to stop the revenue flow,” the chief minister said.
In his address, Union minister Parshottam Rupala appreciated the initiatives undertaken by the state government for the growth and development of dairy sector in Assam. He asserted that the new technology in the field of animal husbandry must reach to the farmers so that they can get benefits from it.
Assam minister for agriculture, AHVD and cooperation, Atul Bora, in his address said that this venture will bring white revolution in the state and it aims to create milk processing capacities to handle and add value to over 10 lakh litres of milk every day. This will not only help more than 1.75 lakh farmers to increase their earnings but it will also create huge employment at various levels of milk value chain, he added.
