Women in HP key players in white revolution

Shimla: As the white revolution in Himachal Pradesh has started making its biggest impact in the rural economy, it’s all about women playing a key role in boosting the rural household industry—the dairy farming.

With the state government proposing to increase the procurement price of milk by Rs 6 litre this year, the milk producers in the state are exploring new ways and strategies to make the milk economy more viable.

As an industry, it employs most of rural households, with the majority being small and marginal farmers as well as the landless. The sector is an important job provider, especially for women, and plays a leading role in women’s empowerment. The state government has facilitated the dairy farming infrastructure through its various initiatives. The animal husbandry and dairying sector have received a great deal of impetus.

To strengthen the economy of milk producers and to ensure the quality in milk production, the Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited has set up 102 Automatic Milk Collection Units (AMCUs) in the state during the last year; besides this 455 automatic milk collection units are also functional in the state.

Apart from this, 106 bulk milk coolers have been installed so far under various projects in the state. As many as 35 can-meter coolers have been provided under the National Dairy Development programme to improve the quality of milk.

‘The state government is also in the process of developing a state–of–the–art automatic milk processing plant at Dagwar in Kangra district to produce a wide range of dairy products,’ said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Infact, the co-operation is also playing an important role in the development of the dairy sector in the state. The cooperative societies have not only made the farmers self-sufficient but have also broken the shackles of gender, caste, religion, and community.

Initiating the White Revolution in the state, the state government has started the ambitious Him Ganga Scheme with a budgetary provision of Rs 500 crore.

Under the scheme, committees have been formed in the first phase to make people more aware. 201 new milk cooperative societies have been formed in Hamirpur and Kangra districts.