हिंदी
Chandigarh, August 4 : With a view to increase milk production in the State, the Haryana Government is undertaking various projects to the tune of more than Rs 30 crore.
While stating this here today, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department and Cooperation Department, Mr. Sanjeev Kaushal, said that a UHT Tetra Pack Plant was being established in Rohtak at a cost of Rs. 19.55 crore. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has been requested to prepare the detailed project report.
Apart from this, Bulk Milk Coolers costing Rs. 9.60 crore would be provided to the societies throughout Haryana. This would help ensure improvement in quality of milk, as well as availability of good quality milk products to the people of the State. These projects were announced by the Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal, during his Budget 2020-21 speech, he added.
He said that a new milk plant with latest technology and capacity of three to five lakh litres per day (LPD) was proposed to be established in southern Haryana. This would cover the National Capital Region (NCR). The NDDB would submit a detailed project report, and search for land for setting up of the plant is in progress, he added.
Mr. Kaushal said that the Haryana Dairy Development Cooperative Federation Limited (HDDCF) was making consistent efforts to take care of dairy farmers by giving the highest rate in the State for their milk, and selling the milk and milk products to consumers at competitive prices. The Federation also ensures that high quality standards are followed in production, processing and packaging of the products.
He said that under agreement with the Women and Child Development Department, the Federation would supply Fortified Sweetened Flavoured Skimmed Milk Powder to children aged between one and six years, pregnant women and lactating mothers in Aanganwadi Centres six days in a week under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme, under the aegis of the ‘Mukhya Mantri Doodh Uphaar Yojana’ scheme, which will be launched by Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal, via video conferencing tomorrow. Under this scheme, the Federation would supply about 5,800 metric tonnes of the milk powder annually. There is a demand for 600 metric tonnes of the fortified milk powder this month, for which the supply has already started, he added.
He said that the Federation was also supplying Sweetened Flavoured Skimmed Milk Powder (SFSMP) to the Elementary Education Department as part of their Mid-Day Meal scheme, three days a week, which had recently been increased to six days a week.
He said that with the schools not functioning during the lockdown, the State Government had decided to provide dry rations to students. About 600 metric tonnes SFSMP in 500 gram packs has been supplied for May and June, he added.
Giving details of the efforts to facilitate farmers during the lockdown, Mr. Kaushal said that the Haryana Government had decided to procure milk made surplus due to closure of businesses, through the dairy cooperative societies. The Federation accepted the surplus milk throughout the State, leading to procurement increasing by 59.18 per cent and sale decreasing by 22.65 per cent between March 24 and May 31, as compared to sae period last year. At present, the milk procurement rate of the Federation is Rs. 630 per kg fat, which is highest in the State.
Apart from this, subsidy of Rs. 5 per litre for both cow and buffalo milk is being given to the milk producer members of MPCS from April 1, 2020, which would continue till September 30, 2020. The State Government has made budgetary provision of Rs. 31.80 crore for this purpose under the ‘Mukhya Mantri Dugdh Utpadak Protsahan Yojana’.
The Federation has also implemented ‘Kanyadan’ scheme for the marriage of the daughters of milk pourers, scholarship to the wards of milk pourers of the milk producers societies and group personal accidental insurance cover for milk producers of primary milk cooperative societies of Haryana, for the welfare of cooperative milk producers in the State, he added.
