- Dairy plants at Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Kannauj & Ambedkarnagar Cattle Feed Plant handed over to NDDB for 10 years
- Govt of UP, PCDF & NDDB sign MoUs in presence of UP CM; Dairy sector to get new lease of life in UP
- A cow dung-based biogas model has been developed at the Varanasi Milk Union to meet the energy needs of the dairy plant, making it a model for the entire country
NE BUSINESS BUREAU
ANAND, JUNE 25
In a significant milestone, the Government of Uttar Pradesh, Pradeshik Cooperative Dairy Federation (PCDF) and National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) signed MoUs for dairy development in the presence of Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh; Dharampal Singh, Minister of Animal Husbandry & Dairy Development; Amit Kumar Ghosh, Principal Secretary; Rakesh Kumar Mishra, Milk Commissioner; Dr Meenesh Shah, Chairman, NDDB; Vaibhav Srivastava, Managing Director, PCDF and other important dignitaries in Lucknow on Wednesday.
Three dairy plants located in Kannauj, Gorakhpur and Kanpur along with one cattle feed plant in Ambedkarnagar have been handed over to NDDB on a ten-year lease. These plants are now being entrusted to NDDB with the objective of ensuring more efficient and sustainable operations. This strategic move is expected to benefit dairy farmers in the respective regions by ensuring timely and transparent payments for milk procurement, availability of high-quality cattle feed and fair prices for milk sold.
In his address, the Chief Minister stated that the aim of the state government is not only to promote milk production but also to increase the income of milk producers, create employment opportunities and improve the nutrition of livestock. This agreement will infuse new energy into the rural economy of the state. He noted that due to overall development, the lives of farmers are improving. This MoU will strengthen the rural economy, employment and the milk value chain of Uttar Pradesh.
The Chief Minister conveyed that under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, NDDB is playing a positive role in significantly increasing the prosperity and income of dairy farmers. He praised that the efforts of NDDB in advancing the dairy ecosystem and cited the example of eight Milk Producer Organisations formed with support of NDDB in UP, including Balinee. Balinee has now become the largest women-led Milk Producer Organisation in Bundelkhand, enrolling lakhs of women farmers and significantly contributing to their self-reliance. The Varanasi Milk Union has experienced noteworthy improvements under NDDB’s management since 2021. Currently, the milk union is procuring more than 1 lakh litres of milk per day from 30,000 milk producers and processing 2 lakh litres per day, reaching full capacity plant utilisation. A cow dung-based biogas model has been developed at the milk union to meet the energy needs of the dairy plant, making it a model for the entire country. He urged PCDF and other milk unions in UP to learn from the Varanasi model and replicate its success.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Meenesh Shah, Chairman, NDDB expressed gratitude and highlighted that it is under the constant guidance and visionary leadership of the Chief Minister that numerous farmer-centric programmes have been implemented across the state, transforming the agricultural and allied sectors. In a major boost to the dairy sector, Uttar Pradesh is set to play a pivotal role in the nationwide implementation of White Revolution 2.0, spearheaded by NDDB in collaboration with various ministries of the Central Government. The focus is on empowering milk producers and strengthening cooperative institutions.
NDDB and its subsidiary NDDB Dairy Services, have collaborated with the State Government to establish eight MPOs. These MPOs are currently collecting over 18 lakh litres of milk per day from more than 5 lakh farmer members across 12 thousand villages. Five of these have been established under the State Rural Livelihood Mission, which provided financial assistance for their establishment and operation. In addition, various central sector schemes like Rashtriya Gokul Mission, NPDD, JICA Project and Fodder FPO are being implemented in collaboration with NDDB.
