Bhubaneswar, Aug. 31: The Centre has released financial assistance of Rs 10.56 crore for dairy development in the state as Orissa faces shortage of milk to the tune of 38 lakh litres per day.
State fisheries and animal resources development secretary Satyabrata Sahoo said the central assistance was released yesterday by Union animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries development secretary R. Gangadharan.
The state fisheries and animal resources department plans to form 60 more dairy development cooperative societies and enrol 3,600 new members with the central assistance. It already has 4,923 milk producers’ cooperative societies with more than 2.55 lakh members.
“From the central funds, a new dairy will also be set up at Jharsuguda with a processing capacity of 20,000 litres per day. Besides, the funds will be spent on procurement of 900 lactating cows and purchase of 15 new box coolers,” said Sahoo.
An additional 20,000 litres of milk per day will be available by 2016-17 from the 3,600 members to be enrolled during the present drive.
Newly-enrolled members will be provided with incentives for fodder grass cultivation. They will also be supplied with mineral salts, cattle feed, and de-worming medicines. Besides, immunisation, cattle insurance and veterinary camps will also be organisedd, said sources in the state fisheries and animal resources department.
All these programmes will be taken up under the Integrated Dairy Development Programme-X in five districts of western Orissa — Sambalpur, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Sonepur and Bargarh.
At present, Orissa produces 46 lakh litres of milk every day as against the daily requirement of nearly 84 lakh litres. Officials said to produce good quality cows, the calf rearing programme and artificial insemination under the National Project on Cattle and Buffalo (NPCB) had also been taken up in Orissa.
Dairy development programmes are now in operation in 10 districts of Orissa — Angul, Bargarh, Balangir, Nuapda, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Kalahandi, Boudh, Nawarangpur and Koraput.
