Sambalpur, Sept. 29: Orissa State Co-operative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (Omfed) is setting up an ice cream factory on the premises of the Sambalpur Dairy at Goshala, 15km from here.
Agriculture minister Pradeep Mharathi laid the foundation stone for the project today. Omfed plans to make the ice cream plant functional by 2016.
The ice cream plant will be built at an estimated budget of Rs 8 crore and will produce 3,000 litres of ice cream every day. It will be set up under the Rastriya Krishi Vikash Yojna scheme of the central government. The Centre will pay 75 per cent of the budget cost the state government-run Omfed will pay the remaining 25 per cent. At present, Omfed has only one ice cream producing unit in Bhubaneswar.
“The plant will cater to the market in the western part of the state,” said Omfed sales manager Gyanabrata Mohanty. “There are also plans to have another unit in Bhawanipatna,” he added.
The Goshala unit will distribute its products to 36 wholesalers, 350 agents, four railway parlours, two department dairies and six institutions under the supervision of Sambalpur Dairy.
“There will be good demand for Omfed ice creams since the mercury touches 45°C during the summer in this part of the state. Sambalpur has always been a good market for ice creams,” said Binaya Thakur, a local resident.