Assam govt launches 20,000-LPD milk plant, CM Sarma says dairy farmers to benefit
Guwahati, Oct 8
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said the state's dairy sector had received a major boost with the launch of operations at a 20,000-litre-per-day milk processing plant in Sonitpur, with the entire milk supply to be sourced from local dairy farmers.
Sarma said the new facility was another step towards the state government's target of increasing milk production in Assam to 10 lakh litres per day.
In a post on X, the Chief Minister said the milk processed at the Sonitpur facility would be procured entirely from local dairy farmers associated with dairy co-operative societies.
"This will boost their income, give them an assured market and support a lot of allied activities in the North Bank of the Brahmaputra," Sarma said.
He described the initiative as another step towards promoting locally produced, or "Made in Assam", products while strengthening the livelihoods of dairy farmers across the state.
The Chief Minister said the government was taking several measures to strengthen the dairy ecosystem and ensure greater economic opportunities for farmers involved in milk production and allied activities.
Among the initiatives highlighted by Sarma was direct milk subsidy support for dairy farmers.
The government is also undertaking digital registration of milk co-operative societies to strengthen the co-operative network and improve the formalisation of the dairy sector.
Sarma further said the government was encouraging young people and women to take up dairy farming and allied activities through schemes including the Chief Minister's Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan (CMAAA) and the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan (MMUA).
The new processing facility is expected to create a more assured market for milk produced by farmers associated with co-operative societies in Sonitpur and neighbouring areas.
The government believes that strengthening milk procurement, processing and marketing infrastructure will help increase farmers' incomes while encouraging more people to enter the dairy sector.
The initiative is also expected to support allied economic activities in Assam's North Bank region, including livestock-related services, transportation and other rural enterprises.
Sarma said the government's focus remained on building a stronger dairy ecosystem and taking Assam closer to its target of producing 10 lakh litres of milk per day.
— IANS
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