Agartala, September 30: The Tripura government is planning to expand the state’s dairy sector by increasing milk production, strengthening cooperative societies and enhancing support to dairy farmers, Animal Resources Development Minister Sudhangshu Das said on Tuesday.
Addressing the 13th Board Meeting of the Gomati Cooperative Milk Union, Das said the state needed to increase milk production to meet growing consumer demand and called for greater institutional cooperation and technical assistance.
The meeting was held following a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Animal Resources Development Department, Gomati Cooperative Milk Union and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
“Milk is a balanced and essential food, but our local production falls short. With NDDB’s support, we can expand production, processing, and distribution to ensure affordable access for consumers,” Das said.
He said the partnership would focus on improving milk production and processing, strengthening marketing and distribution mechanisms and ensuring dairy products reached consumers at reasonable prices.
Gomati Cooperative Milk Union Chairman Ratan Ghosh said the meeting was the first joint board meeting with NDDB since the tripartite MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Manik Saha.
Ghosh said the Union plans to increase the number of dairy farmers associated with it from 6,642 to 10,000.
It also plans to establish 52 new milk-producing cooperative societies to expand its network and encourage greater participation of farmers in organised dairy production.
The recently acquired Tridha Dairy at Kamalpur will be integrated into the Union’s operations, while a new dairy plant at Bamutia with a processing capacity of 40,000 litres is being operationalised, he said.
Ghosh said Gomati Dairy had expanded significantly since its establishment in 1982, when its processing capacity was 5,000 litres, and had now reached 40,000 litres.
The cooperative currently produces four varieties of milk, two types of paneer, ghee, ice cream, packaged drinking water and nearly 75 varieties of sweets.
The Union is also reviewing its marketing strategies with an aim to improve profitability and provide better returns to dairy farmers, Ghosh said.
The board discussed steps to ensure effective implementation of Central and state government schemes for cattle rearers and dairy farmers, besides measures to provide financial and technical assistance at the grassroots level.
NDDB North-East Coordinator Sabyasachi Roy, senior officials of the ARD Department, the Union’s Managing Director and Secretary and other board members attended the meeting.
