On the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) at Anand in Gujarat on Tuesday, Union minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for a new \u20b9210 crore \u201cvegetable and fruit processing plant\u201d which will be set up by Mother Dairy near Vadodara.<\/p>\n
The new plant at Itola will process five metric tonnes of fruit pulp per hour. It will also produce two metric tonnes of french fries per hour and the produce will be sold under the \u201cSafal\u201d brand of Mother Dairy. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn one of the NDDB board meetings, I had asked them not to limit themselves to milk and expand NDDB\u2019s scope. I am happy that they have extended themselves to processing vegetables and fruits. The farmers who grow vegetables and fruits do not get proper remuneration.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey end up getting exploited after the market gets flooded with their produce. If these vegetables are processed, then farmers produce will go across the world and the profits will percolate down through the cooperative model.\u201d said Shah while speaking at the event held at Anand.<\/p>\n
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Similarly, Shah also laid the foundation stone for a \u20b974 crore polyfilm plant at Narela, New Delhi. This plant with a capacity of 8400 metric tonne per annum will provide packing needs for milk, curd and ghee. It will provide employment for 100 persons and is expected to be commissioned by 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we are the biggest milk producer of the world. With a cumulative\u00a0milk production of 231 million tonnes, we have left the United States behind. We will maintain the number one position for long as we are growing at six percent per annum, while the rest of the world is growing at two percent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are 8 crore milk producing families in rural India. However, only 1.5 crore are within the cooperative framework, while the remaining 6.5 crore are in the unorganised sector and are being exploited. NDDB should try and see that the all the 8 crore families are included within the cooperative framework,\u201d Shah added.<\/p>\n
Pointing out that a number of states have inked MoUs with NDDB, Shah said, \u201cGood work is happening, but it needs to be fast tracked.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shah also laid the foundation stone for a new NDDB office building at Anand. At Anand, Shah also launched Gir Ghee from Mother Dairy and Badri Ghee from Uttarakhand Cooperative Dairy Federation. Several MoUs were also signed to highlight NDDB\u2019s continued efforts in advancing the dairy sector. <\/p>\n
Key agreements included a collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to conduct cutting-edge research in One-Health, focusing on innovation in animal health and sustainability; a partnership between National Cooperative Organics Limited, Mother Dairy and NDDB Mrida Limited to promote organic farming practices; NDDB, Suzuki R&D Center India (SRDI) and Amul\/Mehsana Milk Union to establish a compressed biogas plant, enhancing sustainable energy production. <\/p>\n
Further partnerships comprise an MoU between NDDB and the Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO, which will use remote sensing technology to assess fodder resources, facilitating improved resource management.<\/p>\n
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