Rs 43 crore for milk procurement, govt targets to 2.74 lakh litres per day

Shimla: Rolling out one of his flagship programmes, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday said Himachal Pradesh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to provide consultancy services for the establishment of a state-of-the-art automated milk processing plant in Dhagwar, Kangra.

During the elections the Congress has promised to start an ambitious project to procure milk at Rs 80 per kg to enhance employability of the rural house-holds in the state.

Sukhu said the proposed milk procurement plant at Dhagwar will have an initial capacity of 1.50 Lakh Litres Per Day (LLDP) and expandable up to 3 LLPD, and would be a fully automatic facility.

This ambitious project, set to be constructed with an investment of Rs 225 crore in the first phase, aims to produce a diverse range of dairy products, including curd, lassi, butter, ghee, paneer, flavoured milk, khoya and mozzarella cheese. Sukhu stated that as the project unfolds, it would bring prosperity to the dairy farming communities and contribute significantly to the overall growth of the State.

The plant would play a crucial role in bolstering the rural economy by directly purchasing milk from the farmers in Chamba, Hamirpur, Kangra and Una districts, remarked the Chief Minister. He further emphasised the importance of transparency in milk procurement to ensure that the farmers get good value for their hard work.

He added that an additional investment of Rs 43 crore was earmarked for strengthening the milk procurement network with a target to purchase 2.74 LLPD for sustaining the plant’s operations.