Assam signs Rs 100 cr dairy expansion & organic farming MoUs to train 1000 farmers

Guwahati, Feb 28: The dairy and organic farming sectors in Assam received a major boost with the signing of two crucial Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) at Advantage Assam 2.0 on Wednesday here.

In a move to double the milk processing capacity at Purabi Dairy's Panjabari plant in Guwahati, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and West Assam Milk Producers' Cooperative Union Limited (WAMUL) formalized an expansion project, estimated at Rs 100 crore to increase the plant's capacity from 1.5 lakh litres per day (LLPD) to 3 LLPD, ensuring a steady supply of quality dairy products to meet growing consumer demand.

The expansion will also see increased production of fermented milk products like yogurt, cheese, butter-milk etc., from 20 metric tons per day (MTPD) to 50 MTPD. The MoU will also pave way for the establishment of a new ice cream plant with the capacity of 20,000 litres per day (TLPD). Besides enhancing the supply chain, it will also ensure better returns for dairy farmers through value-added products.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Jogen Mohan, Minister of Cooperation; Pijush Hazarika, Minister of Water Resources; and Dr B Kalyan Chakravarthy, Additional Chief Secretary to the government of Assam. The MoU is to play a crucial role in development of dairy farming in Assam, offering enhanced infrastructure and better opportunities for farmers. Other signatories of the MoU were Dr V Sridhar, Senior General Manager of NDDB and SK Parida, Managing Director of WAMUL.

In another significant development, the National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and North East Dairy and Foods Limited (NEDFL), a joint venture company between Government of Assam and NDDB, have joined hands to establish an Organic Demo Farm cum Food Innovation Hub in Assam. The signatories of the MoU were Vipul Mittal, Managing Director of NCOL and Satya Brata Bose, Managing Director of NEDFL.

The proposed hub will serve as a processing centre for organic raw materials, ensuring value addition and better marketability for farm products across the Northeast. Additionally, the hub will house a demonstration farm to promote best practices, innovative techniques, and economic viability in organic farming. Over the next two years, the project aims to train at least 1,000 farmers in organic farming techniques, develop market-ready organic products, and facilitate large-scale commercialisation.

The National Cooperative for Organics Ltd (NCOL) is backed by the Union Ministry of Cooperation with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) as the chief promoter, and National Co-operative Consumers' Federation (NCCF), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GC-MMF), and National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) as the promoter members.

The project intends to address challenges such as the lack of organically certified processing centres and limited knowledge dissemination in organic farming. With NEDFL's extensive farmer network, the initiative is expected to create a sustainable ecosystem by integrating organic farming with cooperative dairy activities.

With the Organic Demo Farm cum Food Innovation Hub, farmers will receive crucial training and infrastructure to scale up organic farming, while the expansion of Purabi Dairy will significantly bolster the dairy industry in the region. These initiatives mark a new era of growth for Assam's agricultural and cooperative sectors, ensuring long-term benefits for farmers and consumers alike.