The Government of Himachal Pradesh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to strengthen the dairy sector in the state. The initiative aims to enhance milk processing capacity, infrastructure development, and farmer income, while generating employment opportunities in rural areas.
Key Highlights
| Aspect | Details |
| State | Himachal Pradesh |
| Partner Organisation | National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) |
| Objective | Strengthen dairy infrastructure and processing capacity |
| Focus Areas | Technology, processing units, digital systems |
| Beneficiaries | Farmers and rural population |
Major Components of MoU
Institutional Development
- Formation of Kangra Milk Union
- Strengthening of state dairy cooperative structure
Milk Processing and Infrastructure
| Facility | Location | Capacity |
| Milk Processing Plant | Nahan (Sirmaur district) | 20,000 litres/day |
| Milk Processing Plant | Nalagarh (Solan district) | 20,000 litres/day |
| Milk Chilling Centre | Jalari (Hamirpur district) | 20,000 litres/day |
| Milk Chilling Centre | Jhalera (Una district) | 20,000 litres/day |
Digital Transformation
- Implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system in the state dairy federation
- Objectives:
- Improve transparency
- Enhance efficiency in management
- Ensure better quality control
ERP in Dairy Sector
- Helps in:
- Supply chain management
- Inventory tracking
- Quality assurance
Dhagwar Dairy Project (Flagship Initiative)
| Aspect | Details |
| Location | Dhagwar, Kangra district |
| Cost | ₹250 crore |
| Initial Capacity | 1.5 lakh litres/day |
| Expansion Potential | Up to 3 lakh litres/day |
| Expected Operationalisation | By October |
- Will function as an automated milk processing plant
- Central to expansion of dairy infrastructure in the state
Pricing Support for Farmers
| Milk Type | Earlier Price | Revised Price |
| Cow Milk | ₹32/litre | ₹51/litre |
| Buffalo Milk | ₹47/litre | ₹61/litre |
- Himachal Pradesh becomes the first state to offer the highest support price for milk procurement
Economic and Social Impact
- Enhances:
- Farmer income
- Milk procurement and processing capacity
- Generates: Rural employment opportunities
- Expands reach of: ‘HIM’ dairy brand
- Beneficiary districts: Una, Kangra, Hamirpur, Chamba
Additional Policy Initiative
- State is working on its first Nutrition Policy
- Focus areas: Quality of food and Nutritional value of dairy products
- Objective: Improve public health outcomes
Background
- Himachal Pradesh had earlier partnered with NDDB in 2023
- Initial MoU focused on:
- Introduction of world-class technology
- Development of bio-products
- Current MoU expands scope to:
- Operationalisation of Dhagwar plant
- Strengthening of dairy processing infrastructure
- Computerised quality control systems
About NDDB (National Dairy Development Board)
| Feature | Details |
| Established | 1965 |
| Headquarters | Anand, Gujarat |
| Founder | Dr. Verghese Kurien |
| Ministry | Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying |
| Role | Promotion and development of dairy sector |
Operation Flood
- Launched by NDDB in 1970
- Objective: Create a national milk grid
- Outcome: Made India the largest milk producer in the world
Dairy Sector in India
- India is the largest producer of milk globally
- Major contributors:
- Uttar Pradesh
- Rajasthan
- Gujarat
- Andhra Pradesh
Dairy Cooperatives
- Key examples: AMUL (Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation)
- Role:
- Ensure fair price to farmers
- Strengthen rural economy
Importance of Milk Processing Infrastructure
- Reduces: Post-harvest losses
- Improves:
- Value addition
- Shelf life of milk
- Enables: Production of dairy products (butter, cheese, etc.)