The Central Government’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has included Chhattisgarh besides two other States under National Dairy Plan-I (NDP -I) .
The other two States included under NDP-I are Uttarakhand and Jharkhand. Milk production is estimated to have now reached 65,000 litres per day in Chhattisgarh with the expansion of dairy cooperative committees in the State, officials here stated.
“Chhattisgarh’s average milk collection per day has reached over 65,000 per litre. It has become possible through 627 dairy cooperative societies across the State,” Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Dairy Federation President Rasik Parmar stated early this year.
The Federation has expanded its work in 15 districts of the State, he stated. As many as 370 new dairy cooperative societies were set up in the past two years taking the total of number of cooperatives to 627 from 257.
More than 16,000 farmers have been directly associated with the federation through these cooperatives, the State Cooperative Dairy Federation President said. Moreover, 55 more committees are proposed to be set up in the new fiscal 2015-16 with a target to enroll over 4,000 members, he said.
“With the increase in number of committees, collection of milk per day has been increased. Currently, the average milk collection has reached 64,785 litres,” he stated.
Besides, the Federation’s products with brand name ‘Devbhog’ have received encouraging response from the customers, Parmar said. With a view to augmenting livestock and milk production, an elaborate action plan will be prepared for the establishment of 5,000 dairies in Chhattisgarh during the next five years, Agriculture Minister Brijmohan Agrawal had stated last year.
Meanwhile, the CCEA has also extended the implementation period of the NDP-I upto 2018-19 in order to achieve its key outputs. The CCEA was of the opinion that Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are newly formed States which are primarily inhabited by tribal population having substantial milch animal population and have the potential for coverage under NDP-I.
Considering the potential for implementation of Ration Balancing Programme, Fodder Development and Village Based Milk Procurement System, Uttarakhand has also been included under NDP-I; along with Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, it stated.
Due to the time taken in initiating the implementation of sub projects at End Implementing Agencies (EIAs) level and late approval of NDP-I as mentioned above, it is envisaged that the key outputs of NDP-I as planned would be substantially achieved (e.g. bull production target, sustainability of Pilot AI (Artificial Insemination) Delivery services on full cost recovery basis etc.) with the period of NDP I having been extended up to 2018-19, the CCEA stated.
The NDP-I was approved for implementation in 14 milk potential States by National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) through the EIAs with a total outlay of Rs 2242 crore for a period of six years from 2011-12 to 2016-17.
NDP-I is now being implemented in 15 States (after Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) viz. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
The 15 states accounts for more than 90 per cent of the country’s milk production, over 87 per cent of the breedable cattle and buffalo population and 98 per cent of the country’s fodder resources. However, coverage of NDP-I is across the country in terms of benefits accruing from the project.