Procurement by Milkfed up by 18%: CM

Shimla, August 22

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Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that the average milk procurement had reached a record high of 1.90 lakh litres per day (LLPD), registering an 18 per cent increase over the previous figure of 1.40 LLPD.

He said, “Himachal has witnessed a substantial increase in milk collection through Milkfed due to the focused and earnest efforts of the state government. The policies and steps taken by the state government have motivated cattle rearers to re-engage with the dairy sector, as evident by the numbers of Milkfed.”

Sukhu said that the quality of milk collected had also improved. The fat content has risen from 3.50 per cent to 3.65 per cent while the solid-not-fat content has increased from 7.50 per cent to 7.70 per cent. “In a clear indication of the state’s commitment to supporting the farming community, Milkfed disbursed Rs 19.42 crore to milk producers in May and Rs. 21.42 crore in June this year as compared to Rs 11.01 crore and Rs 11.88 crore during the corresponding periods last year,” he added.

He said that the procurement price of cow milk had been increased from Rs 32 per litre to Rs 45 per litre, while the rate of buffalo milk had been hiked to Rs 55 per litre. “An allocation of Rs 201 crore has been made for a state-of-the-art milk processing plant at Dhagwar in Kangra district to be established in collaboration with the National Dairy Development Board. The plant will have an initial capacity of 1.50 lakh LLPD, which will be expandable to 3 lakh LLPD,” he added.

Better quality

The quality of milk collected has also improved. The fat content has risen from 3.50 per cent to 3.65 per cent while the solid-not-fat content has increased from 7.50 per cent to 7.70 per cent