Himachal Milk Plant: Benefits 35,000 Farmers

Shimla, Jan 23 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday laid the foundation stone of a milk processing plant at Dhagwar in Kangra district, which would have a production capacity of 1.50 lakh litres per day (LLPD).

The chief minister said that the plant's initial processing capacity of 1.50 LLPD can be expanded to 3 LLPD in the future. Once operational, the Dhagwar Milk Processing Plant will significantly strengthen the economy of farmers in Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, Chamba, and Una districts, benefiting over 35,000 milk producers.

"In addition to boosting the incomes of milk producers, the plant will create employment opportunities in milk collection, processing, quality control, and distribution. It will also generate indirect jobs in sectors such as transportation, supply chain management, and maintenance services," he said in a statement issued here.

The chief minister said that the entire funding for the construction of this plant was being provided by the state government and the plant will be completed by February 2026.

Once the processing plant becomes operational, farmers will receive payments of Rs 40 lakh daily, Sukhu said.

He said that after the increase in milk rates, Milkfed's daily procurement has risen from 1,40,000 litres to 2,10,000 litres. The advanced milk processing plant will process 1.50 lakh litres of milk daily, producing a wide range of dairy products, including curd, lassi, butter, ghee, cheese, flavoured milk, khoya, and mozzarella cheese.

He also said that the capacity of the milk processing plant in Duttnagar, Shimla district, has been increased from 20,000 litres to 70,000 litres per day at a cost of Rs 25.67 crore. This enhanced capacity is benefiting dairy farmers in Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, and Kinnaur districts, with around 20,000 farmers associated with 271 dairy cooperative societies reaping the rewards.