Guwahati: Scheme to provide subsidy to milk producers launched in city

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: In a bid to promote self-reliance among dairy farmers and usher in a White Revolution in the State, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma today launched a new scheme at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati. Under this scheme, approximately 20,000 dairy farmers associated with 601 dairy cooperative societies across the State would receive assistance of Rs. 5 per litre of milk, for up to 30 litres per day. This assistance applies to farmers supplying milk to organised dairy processing projects. A provision of Rs. 10 crore has been made for the scheme in the financial year 2025–26.

Under the newly launched scheme, government assistance would be directly credited to the bank accounts of eligible dairy farmers on a designated date each month.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Dr. Sarma observed that Assam’s daily milk production stands at approximately 29 lakh litres; however, only 1 lakh litres of this is processed and made available through cooperative societies such as Purabi and Sitajakhala. In response, the government has resolved to raise the volume of processed milk to 10 lakh litres per day. He stressed the importance of enhancing processing capacities and encouraging greater participation from farmers in the cooperative system.

The Chief Minister noted that, Purabi Dairy’s processing capacity increased from 60,000 litres to 1.5 lakh litres in the previous year, with financial support from the Assam Government. He further stated that during the Advantage Assam 2.0 summit, two agreements were signed - one with Amul and another with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Pursuant to the agreements, Amul is setting up a facility near Rani, Guwahati, with a capacity of 1 lakh litres per day, while NDDB is working to expand Purabi Dairy’s capacity to 3 lakh litres. He also referred to a dairy project, Kanyaka, with a capacity of 25,000 litres, which is nearing completion. Sitajakhala Dairy Cooperative Society is undertaking similar efforts.

He added that a joint venture, North East Dairy Food Limited, has been established based on the agreement with NDDB. A 5,000-litre capacity dairy plant in Silchar has already been handed over to this venture. Additional dairy processing facilities with capacities of 20,000 litres per day have commenced at Nalbari, Barpeta, and Bajali, while smaller plants of 5,000 litres per day in Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, and Bokakhat have also been transferred to the joint venture.

Looking ahead, the CM stated that the state government has approved the development of projects by North East Dairy Food Limited, with state support, to enable daily processing of 1 lakh litres of milk at Dhemaji, Jorhat and Dibrugarh. He underscored the requirement for a consistent milk supply to meet the demands of these new units and stated that the Government aims to establish dairy cooperative societies in 4,000 villages to facilitate this. Through these cooperatives, the State targets a daily milk processing volume of 10 lakh litres by 2030, which would allow for the export of processed milk both within the Northeast and to other states.

The CM also spoke of plans to provide initial capital assistance to the proposed 4,000 dairy cooperatives for the purchase of cows. In addition, he encouraged cooperative societies to engage in supplementary income-generating activities such as beekeeping, and the production of biogas and bio-CNG from cow dung.

To ensure quality control, the Directorate of Dairy Development has established five dedicated milk testing laboratories across the State. He further stated that, for the first time, the Government is taking concerted steps to support dairy farmers, acknowledging them as an integral component of Assam’s economy.

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