Dairy News
NDDB to develop dairy in Vidarbha
Wednesday, 22/06/2016
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/baroda/NDDB-to-develop-dairy-in-Vidarbha/articleshow/52861401.cms
Vadodara: Farmers of drought-hit Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, infamous for farmers suicides, will soon be able to earn livelihood from the dairy sector.
National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) with the support of Maharashtra government and intervention of union minister for road transport, highways and shipping, Nitin Gadkari, have jointly planned dairy development in the region.
Maharashtra government has already sanctioned Rs 300 crore for the period of next three years for the project which will kick off in October this year.
Mother Dairy, a subsidiary of NDDB, will invest around Rs 60 crore to refurbish the Nagpur Dairy plant which has been handed over by Maharashtra government to NDDB.
The national dairy board will install bulk milk coolers, automatic milk testing equipments and set up marketing infrastructure in the region where frequent crop failures and rising debt burdens have led to several incidence of farmer suicides.
"Our first task would be to repair and refurbish the Nagpur plant which is presently closed," NDDB's chairman T Nanda Kumar told TOI, admitting that there are infrastructure constraints in the region and getting enough feed and fodder for the cattle will also be a challenge.
"We would be starting milk procurement with 10,000 litres per day which eventually can reach to 50,000 litres per day in a year's time. The region has potential of at least one lakh litres milk per day," he said.
"Dairying often remains the only hope in adverse climatic conditions and thereby eases farmer distress," he said.
NDDB and its subsidiaries will implement a fair and transparent milk procurement system and create a farmer producer organisation once the system becomes self-sustainable.
The budget sanctioned by Maharashtra government will be used for doorstep artificial insemination services, ration balancing services, supply of feed and feed supplements, fodder development activities, village level animal health services and animal induction.
"This initiative will ensure regular and better returns to thousands of milk producers. Dairying as a viable alternative in this region will not only reduce the distress amongst farmers but assure them of better sustainable livelihood," he said.