The Himachal Pradesh government signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in the presence of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to strengthen the dairy sector and ensure direct financial benefits for farmers.
The agreements were signed by Animal Husbandry Secretary Ritesh Chauhan and Milkfed Managing Director Abhishek Verma on behalf of the state, while NDDB Chairman Meenesh Shah signed for the Board.
The MoUs cover the formation of the Kangra Milk Union, the establishment of two milk processing plants at Nahan and Nalagarh along with chilling centres at Jalari and Jhalera, and the implementation of ERP software in Milkfed to improve transparency and efficiency.
A modern milk processing plant with a capacity of 1.5 lakh litres per day is also being set up at Dhagwar in Kangra district at a cost of Rs. 250 crore. The plant will serve Kangra, Una, Hamirpur and Chamba districts and may later expand to three lakh litres per day.
The Chief Minister said the government is strengthening the rural economy by prioritising the dairy sector and ensuring that financial benefits reach farmers directly. He added that the state now offers the highest support price for milk procurement in the country, with cow milk increased from Rs. 32 to Rs. 51 per litre and buffalo milk from Rs. 47 to Rs. 61 per litre.
Under the Dugdh Protsahan Yojana, farmers transporting milk to procurement centres receive an incentive of Rs. 3 per litre. Financial assistance for cows in gaushalas has also been increased from Rs. 700 to Rs. 1,200 per month under the Gopal Yojana.
Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar said the upcoming Dhagwar plant, expected to start operations by October, will benefit farmers in several districts and help promote Himachal’s ‘Him’ dairy brand in the market.
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