Sunday, July 10, 2011

Bihar becoming major milk producer-which until recently was dependent on milk supply from Punjab and Andhra Pradesh to meet its domestic consumption-


Bihar, which until recently was dependent on milk supply from Punjab and Andhra Pradesh to meet its domestic consumption, is turning out to be a frontline state in milk production. Bihar becoming major milk producer

PATNA: Bihar, which until recently was dependent on milk supply from Punjab and Andhra Pradesh to meet its domestic consumption, is turning out to be a frontline state in milk production.

From a low average milk procurement of 281.81 thousand litre per day in 1999-2000, the state is now obtaining nearly 14 lakh litre per day milk from farmers in 2011-12, General Manager COMFED (Bihar State Cooperative Milk Producer's Federation) Ashok Java told PTI.

Bihar is among first 10 leading milk producing state of the country today, he said. Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana are the other leading milk producing states.

Bihar is targeting to increase its milk procurement to about 32 lakh litres per day by 2021-22 to further improve its ranking, he added.

State Agriculture minister Narendra Singh attributed the success story to progressive approach of the Nitish Kumar government which is according top priority to farm sector including dairy.

The state government is providing various incentives to the farmers, including subsidised feed and fodder and 30 per cent subsidy on purchase of animals among other things, to promote milk output in the state, he added.

MD of COMFED, which is the implementing agency of operation flood programme of dairy development in the state on the pattern of Anand in Gujarat, said several steps were being taken to enhance milk production in the state.

These include technical inputs like providing breeding facility, animal health cover, food and fodder for keeping good health of livestock and upgrading technology.

Bihar is fast emerging as "milk feeding bowl" for eastern states and also supplying the nutritious drink to neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh, Java added.

Out of 11 lakh litre of milk procured daily, the state is sending around 3.5 lakh litre of processed milk everyday to Mother Dairy, Amul and Delhi Milk Scheme (DMS) in the national capital, and other states like Assam, Orissa, West Bengal besides Nepal, he said.

The COMFED MD said that the cooperative is running 1800 milk collection centres in the state today with a membership of 5.33 lakh farmers.

A new dairy plant is coming up in Biharsharif, the headquarter of CM's native Nalanda district, soon for which the state government has allocated a fund of Rs 121 crore, the COMFED MD added. With this the state will have 14 milk treatment plants.

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