Dhagwar milk processing plant to benefit 35,000 farmers: Himachal CM

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 will have a capacity of 1.5 lakh liters per day (LLPD).

The chief minister said that the initial processing capacity of the plant is 1.50 LLPD and can be expanded to 3 LLPD in the future. Once operational, the Dagwal Milk Processing Plant will significantly enhance the economy of farmers in Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, Chamba and Una districts, benefitting more than 35,000 milk producers.

“In addition to increasing the income of milk producers, the plant will create employment opportunities in milk collection, processing, quality control and distribution. It will also create indirect employment opportunities in areas such as transportation, supply chain management and maintenance services,” he said. said in a statement issued here.

The Chief Minister said that the entire construction of the plant will be funded by the state government and the plant will be completed by February 2026.

Once the processing plant is operational, farmers will receive $40 lakh per day, Sukhu said.

He said that after the increase in milk prices, Milkfed’s daily purchasing volume increased from 140,000 liters to 210,000 liters. The state-of-the-art milk processing plant will process 1.5 lakh liters of milk per day and produce a variety of dairy products including curd, lassi, butter, ghee, paneer, flavored milk, kaya cheese and mozzarella cheese.

He also said that the production capacity of the milk processing plant at Dutnagarh in Shimla district has been increased from 20,000 liters per day to 70,000 liters at a cost of $256.7 Crores. This increased capacity has benefited dairy farmers in Shimla, Kullu, Mandi and Kinnaur districts, with around 20,000 dairy farmers in 271 dairy cooperatives reaping the rewards.