Govt sets up special fund for developing dairy sector:Minister

A French dairy farmer who collects milk from his cows is seen in his farm in La Planche near Nantes,dairy

The government has set up the Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund (DPIDF) worth Rs 10,881 crore to boost the dairy sector, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said today.

He said 95 lakh farmers will be benefited through DPIDF.

"With this investment, 95 lakh farmers from about 50,000 villages would be benefited," Singh said at a function in Anand near here.

The minister presented National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) dairy excellence awards to the best dairy cooperatives on the occasion.

"The NDDB and the National Cooperative Development Cooperation (NCDC) will utilise DPIDF to provide the loan for building an efficient milk procurement system and other infrastructure," the minister said.

He said more employment opportunities will be generated, as the milk procurement operations have registered a growth.

"The DPIDF will focus on building an efficient milk procurement system by setting up infrastructure and installing electronic milk adulteration testing equipment, besides creating and expanding infrastructure and manufacturing faculties for the value-added products for milk unions and milk companies," Singh said.

He said Narendra Modi government accords a "top priority" to the agriculture sector and aims to "ensure that farmers get the best remunerative price for their produce".

"The government is trying to ensure that along with a special focus on dairy, animal husbandry and fishery, the agriculture education, research, and expansion system also get strengthened," he said.

Singh said the Central government has launched a string of schemes to realise the prime minister's dream of doubling the farmers' income by 2022.

He alleged the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government "derailed" various agricultural welfare programmes launched by the previous Atal Bihari Vajpayee government of the BJP.

Singh said the National Dairy Project (NDP) aims to increase the productivity of milch animals, which will lead to increase in milk production for meeting the growing demand.

He said the productivity of milch animals is increasing through the use artificial insemination techniques.

"India has been the world's largest producer of milk for the last two decades and the credit goes to farmers of the country," the minister said.

Singh said the NDDB has implemented several major dairy development programmes including 'Operation Flood' since its inception.

He said the dairy farmers' income has increased by 13.79 percent compared to the last year.

Speaking on the occasion, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said his government aims to open a milk dairy in each district of the state.

He hailed the role of milk cooperatives in the development of the dairy industry and providing employment to lakhs of farmers.