The Centre has sanctioned three projects costing `22.60 crore for three Omfed unions, Baleswar-Bhadrak, Puri-Khordha and Cuttack-Jajpur-Dhenkanal, under the National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development Scheme.
The Project Sanctioning Committee of the Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries Department under the Ministry of Agriculture under the chairmanship of Secretary Ashok Kumar Angurana approved an Omfed proposal in this regard on Friday.
The contribution of the Union Government would be `20.15 crore over a period of two years, 2015-16 and 2016-17.
In the proposal, Omfed CMD Bishnupada Sethi had detailed out the achievements made by Omfed during 2014-16, which saw an increase in milk procurement by 22 per cent from 4.54 lakh litres to 5.55 lakh litres per day. He had also mentioned about the road map of the apex dairy cooperative of the State.
Angurana appreciated Odisha’s efforts for making dairy sector as a viable livelihood option for the farmers. Rajni Sibal, a committee member, wanted that the State develop more processing capabilities and find out opportunities in neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar for exports of its surplus milk and milk products.
With the sanctioned funds, the milk unions would be able to form new dairy cooperative societies and also strengthen selected number of societies besides improving production and productivity of the pourer- members, said an official release.