Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 20 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday performed bhumi pujan for the expansion of Purabi Dairy, which will extend the milk processing capacity of the plant to 3 lakh litres per day.
The Assam CM announced that the NDDB (National Dairy Development Board) and the state government are jointly working to set up new processing units in Silchar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat and other locations.
He noted that the step will increase the milk processing capacity of Assam to 10 lakh litres in the next three years.
"In Assam, we decided three years ago that we would produce 10 lakh litres of milk for daily processing... Today we are here for the Bhumi Pujan, under which NDDB (National Dairy Development Board) will increase the milk processing capacity of this plant to 3 lakh litres. Additionally, the Assam Government and NDDB are jointly working to establish more processing units in Silchar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, and other locations... I am fully confident that in the next 3-4 years, Assam will have a daily milk processing capacity of 10 lakh litres", Sarma told reporters.
Earlier this year during the Advantage Assam Summit state's dairy and organic farming sectors received a major boost with the signing of two crucial Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).
In a move set to double the milk processing capacity at Purabi Dairy's Panjabari plant in Guwahati, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and West Assam Milk Producers' Cooperative Union Limited (WAMUL) formalised an agreement on February 26.
The expansion project, estimated at Rs 100 crore, will increase the plant's capacity from 1.5 lakh litres per day (LLPD) to 3 LLPD, ensuring a steady supply of quality dairy products to meet growing consumer demand.
The expansion will also see an increase in fermented milk product production from 20 metric tons per day (MTPD) to 50 MTPD and the establishment of a new ice cream plant with a capacity of 20 TLPD.