New milk processing plant to boost economy and employment in Himachal: CM

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu laid the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art milk processing plant with a capacity of 1.5 lakh litres per day (LLPD) in Dhagwar, Kangra district on Thursday. He said that the plant's initial processing capacity of 1.5 LLPD can be expanded to 3 LLPD in the future. Once operational, the Dhagwar Milk Processing Plant will significantly strengthen the economy of farmers in Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, Chamba, and Una districts, benefiting over 35,000 milk producers, said the CM.
"In addition to boosting the incomes of milk producers, the plant will create employment opportunities in milk collection, processing, quality control, and distribution. It will also generate indirect jobs in sectors such as transportation, supply chain management, and maintenance services," he added. Sukhu said the entire funding for the construction of this plant was being provided by the state govt, which will be completed by February 2026. He mentioned that once the processing plant becomes operational, farmers will receive payments of Rs 40 lakh daily. He said that after the increase in milk rates, Milkfed's daily milk procurement rose from 1,40,000 litres to 2,10,000 litres.
The plant will process 1.5 LLPD of milk, producing a wide range of dairy products. He added that the capacity of the milk processing plant in Duttnagar, Shimla district, has been increased from 20,000 litres to 70,000 litres per day at a cost of Rs 25.67 crore. This enhanced capacity is benefiting dairy farmers in Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, and Kinnaur districts, with around 20,000 farmers associated with 271 dairy cooperative societies reaping the rewards.
Sukhu said that strengthening the rural economy was a top priority of the present state govt. To ensure more money for rural people, the govt has increased the minimum support price of cow's milk from Rs 32 to Rs 45 per litre and buffalo's milk from Rs 47 to Rs 55 per litre. He said that the govt is making earnest efforts over the past two years to make Himachal self-reliant and one of the most prosperous states in the country.
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