NRI sets up hi-tech dairy farm in Nabha

Sanjay Bumbroo

Tribune News Service

Nabha, June 17 

At a time when the Punjabi youth is migrating to other countries, an NRI left comfortable environs in Singapore to set up a high-tech dairy farm in Nabha.

An alumnus of DAV College, Chandigarh, Deepak Gupta, (54), who was heading the commodities business in Asia for Agri-Major Cargill, has set up a dairy farm on 20 acres with an initial investment of Rs 25 crore. 

The farm has an animal monitoring system from Israel, which helps him monitor his cows round-the-clock. The system also helps monitor each cow's behavior and health in real time. There are over 350 Holstein Frisian and Jersey cows, of which 200 are milked in a herringbone parlour. 

The milk remains untouched besides being instantly chilled, pasteurised and packed on the farm under the brand name, Himalayan Creamery. The farm provides employment to 30 local youths and old-age people of the area.

Gupta said he wanted to follow his dream of setting up a hi-tech modern dairy as he would read stories about the adulteration of milk. Having gained sufficient expertise in agricultural, he began seriously considering setting up a dairy farm to supply fresh milk to customers. 

Gupta said besides dairy products, the farm also grows green fodder, wheat and vegetables with organic farming methods and used manure to generate electricity, before using it as fertiliser. He said they were also sharing the best practices in dairy farming with local farmers, educating them about animal health, feeding and hygiene.  Gupta added every vehicle or person visiting the farm underwent the sanitisation process at its main gate so that cows were not affected. He said in the past two months, they had supplied milk to 100 families in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula in refrigerated trucks and added that they were planning to open counters at some select stores of the tricity.