Chairman, NDDB & Chief Minister of Assam discusses ways to promote dairying as livelihood in Assam

Chairman, NDDB & Chief Minister of Assam discusses ways to promote dairying as livelihood in Assam

14 September 2021, Anand: Shri Meenesh Shah, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) called upon Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam, on September 13, 2021 in Guwahati and presented Assam’s dairy development road map. Shri Atul Bora, Minister for Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary, Border Area Development, Implementation of Assam Accord, Cooperation, Govt of Assam was also present.

 The Hon’ble CM is keen to promote dairying as livelihood in Assam with achieving a target of handling around 10 lakh litres of milk per day by end of the project period. Dr Sarma emphasized that initiatives should be commercially viable and sufficiently remunerative for the dairy farmers of the state.

 Chairman, NDDB said that the plan will include creation of processing infrastructures, village level institutions and marketing of milk & milk products. Simultaneously, productivity enhancement of milch animals will be achieved through increasing artificial insemination coverage, usage of sex sorted semen, induction of high yielding animals, calf rearing programmes and interventions in feed and fodder. The project will be implemented by a Special Purpose Vehicle to be promoted by Govt. of Assam and NDDB.

 The Govt of Assam had requested NDDB to manage the West Assam Cooperative Milk Union (WAMUL), which was on the verge of closure. NDDB took over the management in 2008. Keeping in view the effect of NDDB’s intervention in restoring/reviving the dairy cooperative institution, the Assam Government has approved another extension of NDDB’s management of WAMUL for further period of 5 years. An agreement to this effect was also signed on 6 August 2021.