In a first for Jharkhand, an ambitious project promises to debut before its present deadline.
The state's maiden one-lakh-litre dairy plant in Hotwar, Ranchi, which was conceived more than a decade ago and had its foundation laid by former governor K. Sankaranarayanan in 2009, is gearing up for launch in January 2016 instead of March 2016.
The Rs 19-crore plant, coming up in addition to three existing ones that have a combined capacity of 40,000 litres, is expected to make Jharkhand largely self-sufficient in the dairy sector by next year and thereby, decrease its dependence on Bihar brand Sudha.
"The Hotwar dairy will become operational by January. We have already started a mineral mixture plant for balanced cattle diet there," agriculture minister Randhir Kumar Singh told The Telegraph on the sidelines of a pre-budget meeting at the fisheries and dairy department's training centre in Dhurwa on Wednesday.
Mukul Prasad, project director of Jharkhand Dairy, on Thursday elaborated that a team from National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) would kick off commissioning work at the Hotwar plant from next month.
"Everything regarding our much-awaited dairy plant is on track now. An NDDB team is coming to Ranchi by the end of this month. As early as November 1, setting up of infrastructure necessary for manufacturing and processing of milk and its products will begin. Machinery such as chiller and packaging units are being procured. Some of these equipment have reached us while the rest will be coming soon," Prasad said.
The project director maintained that they had simultaneously begun baseline survey in Palamau district for yet another 50,000-litre dairy plant with central funds.
"The survey in Palamau started a few weeks ago for identification of site, setting up of procurement centres, etc. After these are done, a detailed plan will be envisaged for inclusion in the next fiscal year," Prasad said, adding that a twin plant of similar capacity in Deoghar would be funded from state coffers. "A formal proposal will be mooted for government sanction in the current budget."
Currently, the daily milk demand of the state is around 3 lakh litres. The three existing dairies in Ranchi, Koderma and Deoghar produce 20,000 litres, 10,000 litres and 10,000 litres, respectively. Another 10,000 litres are procured from local dairy farmers and the rest is imported from Sudha Dairy and its ilk.
According to Prasad, while they have managed to set up milk procurement centres in many districts after teaming up with NDDB in March last year, lack of dairy plants has remained a huge deterrent for promotion so far. "At present, we don't procure more than 50,000 litres of raw milk a day. Thus, the upcoming plant and proposed ones will usher in dairy renaissance in Jharkhand."
In 2009, the state had first married NDDB with a similar mission. But, a divorce followed in 2012 owing to conflicts within the department as well as with the dairy board. In March 2014, the two remarried for a period of five years to revolutionise milk production.
A department official maintained that once the Hotwar plant debuted, thousands of milk farmers across half a dozen districts including Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Ramgarh and Khunti would be benefited, resulting in steady supply of milk for processing and public consumption.
