Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Assam continues to face a substantial gap between milk availability and requirement, even as the state has expanded its milk processing infrastructure. The silver lining, however, is that the gap is becoming narrower.
According to the DRSC (Departmentally Related Standing Committee) of the Assam Legislative Assembly on the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department report, though the milk shortage has narrowed from 16.42 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 to 6.05 lakh tonnes in 2025-26, the demand still exceeds production.
According to the report, milk availability in Assam stood at 10.70 lakh tonnes in 2022-23, against a requirement of 27.12 lakh tonnes, resulting in a shortfall of 16.42 lakh tonnes. In 2023-24, the availability of milk increased marginally to 10.92 lakh tonnes, while the requirement was 19.55 lakh tonnes, leaving a deficit of 8.63 lakh tonnes.
The gap narrowed further in 2024-25, with milk availability rising to 12.24 lakh tonnes against a requirement of 19.73 lakh tonnes, resulting in a shortfall of 7.49 lakh tonnes. In 2025-26, availability reached 13.86 lakh tonnes (provisional), while the requirement stood at 19.91 lakh tonnes, leaving a deficit of 6.05 lakh tonnes.
The state is also working to strengthen its milk-processing capacity. The list of milk-processing infrastructure under Dairy Development, Assam, shows several existing plants as well as new facilities under construction or proposed for implementation.
Among the existing facilities, the Central Dairy at Khanapara, Milk Processing Plant at Nagaon, Central Dairy Plant at Tezpur, TMSS (Town Milk Supply Scheme) plant at North Lakhimpur and the Bokakhat milk processing unit are listed as non-operational.
The Silchar Milk Processing Plant at Ghungoor, originally having a capacity of 5,000 litres per day, has been expanded to 20,000 litres per day and is operational, while the Bongaigaon plant is operated by the Bongaigaon Milk Union. The TMSS plant at Manja has a capacity of 1,000 litres per day and is operational.
The Dhemaji plant at Jamuguri Panchali, with a capacity expanded from 5,000 litres per day to 20 KLPD, is operated by WAMUL. Other facilities include plants at Dibrugarh, Bajali and Jorhat, with some being operated by farmers’ groups or proposed to be handed over to North East Dairy and Foods Limited.
New projects are also in the pipeline. A 30,000-litre-per-day milk processing plant at Galia in Bajali is under construction and is to be implemented by North East Dairy. A 50,000-litre-per-day plant at Rangajan, Dhemaji, under RIDF, is also proposed. A much larger 1-lakh-litre-per-day plant at Lahowal, Dibrugarh, under RIDF, is to be implemented by North East Dairy and Foods Limited, while another 1-lakh-litre-per-day plant at Koliapani, Jorhat, under NPDD, is to be implemented by East Assam Milk Union.
The figures indicate that while Assam’s milk availability has increased steadily over the past four years, the state continues to depend on additional supplies to meet its overall requirement. The expansion of processing infrastructure aims to enhance milk collection, processing, and marketing capacity across different regions of the state.
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