States » NorthPosted at: Jun 19 2025 10:58PM


Mission Milk: Himachal's Dairy drive to empower rural economy

Shimla, June 19 (UNI) In a determined bid to uplift the rural economy and generate self-employment opportunities, the Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday rolled out an ambitious plan to expand its dairy infrastructure.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, while chairing a high-level review meeting of the Animal Husbandry Department, directed that dairy cooperative societies be established across the state in "mission mode."
Currently, 910 panchayats in Himachal have functioning dairy cooperatives, but the Chief Minister wants this number to grow rapidly.
"These societies are not just about milk. They are about livelihoods, youth employment, and economic dignity in our villages," Sukhu remarked.
The government has already witnessed a 17 percent rise in milk procurement by MILKFED in the past three years—a figure attributed to increasing support to dairy farmers and higher minimum support prices (Rs 51 per litre for cow milk and Rs 61 for buffalo milk).
At the heart of this initiative is a mega milk processing plant at Dagwar in Kangra district, with a daily handling capacity of 1.5 lakh litres. With an investment of Rs 225 crore, the plant is set to benefit farmers from Kangra, Hamirpur, Una, and Chamba. A monitoring committee will now be constituted to expedite its completion, targeted for June 2026.
In a major infrastructure boost, the government plans to establish six additional milk processing and chilling plants in Una, Hamirpur, Sirmaur, Kullu, Solan and Shimla, with a total investment of Rs 120 crore. These plants will ensure timely procurement, chilling, and storage of milk, preventing losses and securing farmer incomes.
The Chief Minister also emphasized the promotion of the state's indigenous dairy brand, 'Him-Ghee', produced from Pahari cow milk, calling it a game-changer for local branding and farmer profits.
Simultaneously, works on ‘Gau Sadans’—cattle shelters—are being fast-tracked to address stray cattle issues compassionately.
With this multi-pronged strategy, Himachal Pradesh is gearing up to transform its dairy sector—not just as a nutritional backbone, but as a pillar of economic revival.
UNI ML SS
Tags: #Mission Milk: Himachal's Dairy drive to empower rural economy
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