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The increase in milk procurement prices has led to a steady rise in government milk procurement in Himachal Pradesh.
The HP State Co-operative Milk Producers Federation Ltd is now procuring an average of two lakh litres per day. The monthly payouts to milk producers have risen from Rs 8.70 crore in 2023 to Rs 25.62 crore, providing direct financial benefits to milk producers in the northern state. In a statement on Thursday, the state government said its efforts to strengthen the rural economy are yielding positive results. Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stated that his government has taken numerous steps to bolster the milk-based economy. "We are procuring cow milk at Rs 45 per litre and buffalo milk at Rs 55 per litre. Since 90 percent of the state's population resides in rural areas, our aim is to ensure money reaches the hands of the villagers, enabling their economic development," the chief minister said, as per the statement. Sukhu added that his government will continue to make significant decisions in this direction in the future. To bring transparency to milk procurement, 455 automated milk collection centres have been established across the state through Milkfed. Milkfed is collecting milk directly from farmers' doorsteps, even in the remotest parts of the state, ensuring financial benefits to improve their social and economic conditions. Additionally, Milkfed is providing farmers with 5-litre capacity cans. The Federation is also implementing dairy development programmes in 11 districts of the state, forming 1,148 village dairy cooperative societies and registering 47,905 members under this umbrella. These initiatives aim to enhance the livelihood standards of the rural community and strengthen the state's dairy economy. Sukhu also mentioned that the state government has initiated the 'Him Ganga Yojna' from the current financial year, with an initial outlay of Rs 500 crore. He stated that the state government has set up a new milk processing plant with a daily capacity of 50,000 litres at Duttnagar in Shimla district, at a cost of Rs 25 crore. Additionally, the state government is establishing a new processing plant with a capacity of 1.50 lakh litres per day at Dhagwar in Kangra district. To further strengthen the rural economy, in addition to increasing the MSP on milk, the HP government has undertaken numerous initiatives, including encouraging farmers to adopt natural farming techniques and shun chemical farming. (ANI)
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