Himachal's Dairy Expansion: A Boon for Rural Economy

The Himachal government and NDDB signed MoUs to boost the dairy sector, focusing on forming the Kangra Milk Union, implementing ERP software, and establishing milk processing plants. These initiatives aim to modernize operations, improve transparency, and strengthen the rural economy by ensuring direct payments to farmers.

On Monday, the Himachal government partnered with the National Dairy Development Board, signing three Memoranda of Understanding to enhance the state's dairy sector.

The agreements involve forming the Kangra Milk Union, implementing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software for Milkfed, and building two new milk processing plants, each with a capacity of 20,000 liters per day, in Sirmaur and Solan districts. Additionally, the plan includes two milk chilling centers in Hamirpur and Una districts. A larger, fully automated plant is being set up in Kangra, which will initially process 1.5 lakh liters daily, expandable to three lakh liters.

The initiative aims to modernize dairy operations, introduce transparency, and boost the rural economy. ERP software is set to digitize processes from milk collection to distribution, ensuring timely payments to farmers. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed that these developments would enhance product quality, strengthen the rural economy, and offer better returns to farmers.

(With inputs from agencies.)