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Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said here on Sunday that the state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to provide consultancy services for the establishment of a state-of-the-art automated milk processing plant in Dhagwar, Kangra.
He said that the Dhagwar plant, with an initial capacity of 1.50 Lakh Litres Per Day (LLDP) and expandable up to 3 LLPD, would be a fully automatic facility. This ambitious project, set to be constructed with an investment of Rs 225 crore in the first phase, aims to produce a diverse range of dairy products, including curd, lassi, butter, ghee, paneer, flavoured milk, khoya and mozzarella cheese. CM Sukhu stated that as the project unfolds, it would bring prosperity to the dairy farming communities and contribute significantly to the overall growth of the State. "The plant would play a crucial role in bolstering the rural economy by directly purchasing milk from the farmers in Chamba, Hamirpur, Kangra and Una districts," CM Sukhu said. He further emphasized the importance of transparency in milk procurement to ensure that farmers get good value for their hard work. He added that an additional investment of Rs 43 crore was earmarked for strengthening the milk procurement network, with a target to purchase 2.74 LLPD to sustain the plant's operations. "The initiative, aligned with the government's commitment to farmer welfare, also includes plans for the second phase, which would see the production of milk powder, ice cream and various types of cheese at the Dhagwar Plant, the CM added. Sukhu said that the government was committed to the welfare of the dairy farming community of the state and has recently announced an increase of Rs 6 per litre in milk procurement rate, raising it from Rs 32 to Rs 38. He said that the state government was making earnest efforts to increase the income of farmers and new schemes would be introduced in the times to come. Strengthening the rural economy was imperative for making Himachal Pradesh a self-reliant state, said the Chief Minister, adding that around 95 per cent of the state's population resides in rural areas and therefore, without achieving this goal, the vision of making Himachal the most progressive state remains unattainable. (ANI)
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