Assam Govt and NDDB team up for Rs 2,000 crore dairy joint venture to benefit 1.75 lakh farmers
Scott P. Arroyo
2 min read
Guwahati, Jan. 7 (PTI) The government of Assam and the National Dairy Development Board on Friday signed an agreement to create a Rs 2,000 crore joint venture for holistic sector development in the state.
A memorandum of understanding was signed in Guwahati in the presence of the Union Minister of Livestock and Dairy Products, Parshottam Rupala, the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Minister of Agriculture of Atul Bora State and other senior officials.
According to the MoU, a joint venture will be created for Rs 2,000 crore with the aim of processing 10 lakh liters of milk through six new units in seven years.
Milk from more than 4,100 dairy cooperative societies will be processed, packaged and marketed.
This will benefit more than 1,75,000 farmers associated with dairy farms in Assam and increase their incomes, Sarma said.
Two manufacturing units for animal feed and organic manure will also be set up in accordance with the agreement.
The chief minister said that milk producers will receive subsidies for fluctuating market prices of their products and urged all cooperatives to engage in healthy competition for economic growth in Assam. Rupala, in his speech, appreciated various initiatives undertaken by the state government for the growth and development of the dairy sector in Assam.
He asserted that new technologies in the field of animal husbandry must reach the farmers so that they can reap the benefits.
As part of the dairy development project, more than 15,000 high-yielding Gir cows will be brought to Assam to ensure high incomes for farmers in Assam.
This joint venture will be guided and managed by the NDDB, and it will introduce technological innovations.
During the event, Sarma and Rupala also laid the foundation stone for Guwahati-based Purabi Dairy’s expansion initiative under the World Bank-funded Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transport Project.
As part of the expansion project, Purabi Dairy’s processing capacity will increase from the existing 60,000 liters per day to 1.5 lakh liters.
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