Guwahati, Jan 7: The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and Assam government on Friday inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up a Rs 2000-crore company to process 10 lakh litres of milk through six new units in seven years.
Under the MoU, two cattle-feed and organic manure manufacturing units will also be set up; high-yielding cattle breeds will be imported and artificial insemination taken up.
“The MoU will herald a new era of rural economic development by augmenting dairy sector development and generating livelihood opportunities. It will benefit more than 1,75,000 dairy farmers of Assam and increase their earnings,” Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said during the MoU-signing programme here, which was also attended by Union minister of animal husbandry and dairying, Parshottam Rupala.
The chief minister termed the joint venture as historic and a move that is set to transform the dairy sector in Assam.
The foundation stone of the expansion project of Purabi Dairy here was also laid on Friday. The project will increase Purabi Dairy’s production capacity from 60,000 to 150,000 litres per day.
Saying that dairy farmers will be provided subsidy for market price fluctuations of their produce, the Sarma, while assuring support from the government, urged all dairy cooperatives to engage in healthy competition for economic growth of the state.
He also stressed on multi cropping and diversification of agriculture practices.
“With this project, the mission of ‘Atmanirbhar Assam’ begins in earnest and we are confident of minimising our reliance on other states for milk and other food products. With the growth of GDP and per capita income in Assam, people’s spending on meat, milk products etc has 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.
