Himachal govt to promote procurement of milk and milk products from Milkfed and Dairy Cooperatives

Thousands of milk producers to benefit from this initiative

The state government has granted approval to all government departments, hospitals, educational institutions, hostels, canteens, boards, corporations, public sector undertakings and other government establishments for procurement of milk and milk products, as per their requirements, from Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (Milkfed) and other dairy cooperative societies of the state, wherever available.

The initiative aims to strengthen the cooperative dairy sector, provide an assured market to thousands of dairy farmers and enhance their income through institutional procurement. Besides, Milkfed, four dairy cooperatives namely Kamdhenu Hitkari Manch, Namhol, Bilaspur district, Gau Amrit Dugdh Utpadak Society, Paplota, Solan district, Kehloor Milk Producer Cooperative Society, Namhol, Bilaspur district, and Amrit Dhara Dairy Cooperative Society, Darlaghat, Solan district, will also benefit from the initiative.

The arrangement would provide a stable institutional market to local milk producers, strengthen dairy cooperatives and promote rural employment and economic growth. It will also encourage dairy farming as a sustainable source of livelihood and contribute towards making the state’s rural economy self-reliant.

Milkfed is implementing dairy development activities across 11 districts of the state for collection of milk through 799 primary milk producers cooperative societies catering to 55,300 milk producers and the government is providing historical minimum support price for milk, which is also the highest in the country, to support the farmers associated with this avocation.

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the state government was committed to strengthening the rural economy by ensuring remunerative returns and assured market access to farmers and milk producers. He said that dairy farming has tremendous potential to further increase the income of rural households, particularly small and marginal farmers, women and unemployed youth. The initiative will encourage dairy farming, strengthen cooperative institutions and ensure that local milk producers receive better marketing opportunities for their produce.

The Chief Minister said that the government was taking several farmer-friendly initiatives to make Himachal Pradesh self-reliant by strengthening local resources and rural-based economic activities. He reiterated that the government would continue to work towards strengthening the dairy sector, generating employment opportunities and improving the economic well-being of rural families.