Hon'ble Union Minister of Home Affairs & Cooperation inaugurates Phase I & kick-starts phase II of NDDB’s Manure Management Project in Sikkim

Hon'ble Union Minister of Home Affairs & Cooperation inaugurates Phase I & kick-starts phase II of NDDB’s Manure Management Project in Sikkim 

October 10, 2022, Anand: Shri Amit Shah, Hon'ble Union Minister, Home Affairs & Cooperation inaugurated phase I & kick-started phase II of Manure Management Project of Sikkim Milk Union jointly funded by National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) & Sustain Plus Energy Foundation (SPEF) - an affiliate of Tata Trusts at the Dairy Cooperative Conclave 2022 organised by NCDFI and Sikkim Milk Union on 7 October 2022 in Gangtok.

Shri Prem Singh Tamang (Golay), Hon’ble Chief Minister of Sikkim, Hon’ble Sikkim Ministers - Shri Kunga Nima Lepcha, Education, Land Revenue & Disaster Management, Law, Sports & Youth Affairs Departments; Ven. Sonam Lama, Cooperation, Ecclesiastical & Rural Development Departments; Shri Lok Nath Sharma, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, Horticulture & Labour Departments and Shri Meenesh Shah, Chairman, NDDB graced the occasion.

In his address, Shri Amit Shah elaborated on the plan of Ministry of Cooperation and NDDB for gram panchayat level cooperative societies. He praised the role of NDDB in taking the success of dairy cooperative model across the country and stated that with NDDB, we will be able to reach every gram panchayat in next 5 years. The Hon’ble Union Minister highlighted the multidimensional benefits of dairy sector in ensuring nutrition, livelihood, women empowerment and poverty alleviation. This would be feasible through interventions by dairy cooperatives. He also conveyed that cow dung helps in natural farming and natural farming improves human health.

Shri Meenesh Shah, Chairman, NDDB mentioned manure management interventions as a new revolution and explained about the multifarious benefits to the rural households - cooking fuel, organic manure, income from surplus slurry, health benefits & also promotion of green energy.

Chairman, NDDB further said that Under Phase I of the project, Flexi Bio Gas Plants of 2 cubic meter have been installed at 120 women beneficiary households of Kamarey under Budang Kamarey GPU, East Sikkim district. This has helped farmers save equivalent to 1.5 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders per month on cooking fuel leading to Aatmanirbhar household kitchens. Under the 2nd phase, a slurry processing centre is being constructed wherein the slurry from the biogas plants installed at the farmer households would be procured, processed for production of organic fertilisers. The farmers will be able to sell slurry based on quality parameters and get additional income too. The solid and liquid fertilisers thus produced can be used as an alternative to chemical fertilisers. NDDB will also extend its registered trademark “SuDhan” brand to Sikkim Milk Union for promotion and sale of slurry based organic fertilisers across the state.

During the event, both dairy cooperatives being managed by NDDB in East & North East region received NCDFI awards from Shri Amit Shah - West Assam Milk Producers' Cooperative Union Ltd (WAMUL) as one of the best performing dairy cooperative and Jharkhand State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Ltd (JMF) for active participation.