Minister inspects land for milk plant in Kangra

Agriculture Minister Chandra Kumar today inspected the land selected for the ambitious milk plant project at Dhagwar in Kangra district. He said that the project slated to be implemented at a cost of Rs 350 crore would be one of a kind milk plant to be built in Himachal with a new technology.

He said that initially it would consume 1.5 lakh litre of milk. The consumption would be increased to 3 lakh litre a day in the second phase. Besides, milk products would also be prepared in the plant, which would generate employment for the local people.

Chander Kumar said that the state government was working to strengthen the rural economy. Various schemes were being implemented for farmers and animal keepers to improve their income, he added.

He said, “Himachal has become the first state to give a minimum support price of Rs 40 per kg for wheat and Rs 30 per kg for maize produced through natural farming.

He added that to benefit farmers and cattle rearers, the government had increased the purchase price of buffalo milk to Rs 55 per litre and cow milk to Rs 45 per litre. He added that the Dudh Ganga Yojana worth Rs 500 crore had been started for cattle rearers, under which milk would be collected in villages and transported to chilling points at the cluster level.

The minister said that the Him Unnati Yojana had also been launched under which clusters would be formed for milk, pulses, vegetables, fruits, flowers and cash crops, as per the capacity of the particular area so that farmers could have proper arrangements to market their products.

He said that the government was fulfilling the promises made by the Congress before the 2022 Assembly elections in a phased manner and positive steps were being taken towards making the state self-reliant.