MP govt to augment milk cooperatives, offers Rs 5 per litre incentives to producers

Bhopal, April 15 (IANS) Following the advice of Union Home Minister Amit Shah extending milk producers’ reach to more primary cooperative societies (PACs) - at least 50 per cent of the state - the government on Tuesday decided to offer Rs 5 per litre incentives to milk producers.

“The Chief Minister has also asked to promote ‘Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Kamdhenu Yojana’ and do the extensive marketing of the milk produced in the state,” an official said.

On Monday, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah had pointed out that despite pretty fair production of milk in Madhya Pradesh, it reaches only 7,000 functional cooperatives.

He had advised the state government in a programme organised in Bhopal to seek guidance from NDDB (National Dairy Development Board).

Madhya Pradesh and NDDB entered into a pact to augment milk production from the existing 9 per cent of the country to 20 per cent in the coming few years.

At present, only 10 lakh litres of milk are collected per day by the milk cooperatives of the state.

The Chief Minister, while chairing a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, instructed to rapidly facilitate milk producers so that the production could be increased in the state.

Though the Home Minister lauded the efforts of the state as it had inked the deal with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) for improving milk cooperatives’ performance, he had pointed out that only 17 per cent of villages have milk cooperatives in Madhya Pradesh, while marketable milk is available at 3.3 crore litres.

He said, of this, only 2.5 per cent reaches milk cooperatives. Under the pack, now NDDB will procure milk and oversee the processing of the milk and other related products.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also asked the state government to ensure revival of “defunct cooperatives” and diversify activities in milk processing.

--IANS

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