Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah performed the Bhoomi Pujan for the world’s largest curd manufacturing plant under the Amul Bengal Dairy Project at a ceremony held at the New Town Convention Centre in Kolkata.
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that its marks an extremely important day for the farmers and livestock rearers of West Bengal. Amul has performed the Bhoomi Pujan for the world’s largest curd manufacturing plant here. In the first phase of the project, 10 lakh litres of milk will be processed every day, benefiting around 1.20 lakh small milk producers and livestock rearers.
Shri Amit Shah said that he had earlier requested the State Chief Minister that if two plots of 15 acres each were provided to Amul, the entire system for milk production, processing and marketing for eastern India could be operated from West Bengal. He said that the proposal was earlier rejected on the ground that Gujarat would not be allowed to enter West Bengal, even though the project was not for Gujarat but for the welfare of West Bengal’s livestock rearers and milk producers.
Citing Amul as an example, the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the organisation, which is operating on such a large scale, has today become the world’s No. 1 cooperative institution. As many as 36 lakh women are associated with Amul. He said that this is the greatest example of the strength of cooperation and its economic potential.
Shri Amit Shah said that more than 18,600 rural dairy cooperative societies are currently associated with Amul, and Amul products reach almost every State in the country. Addressing every citizen who uses Amul products, he said that when a consumer spends Rs 100 on an Amul product, around Rs 87 goes directly to the farmer and livestock rearer.
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that during the programme, foundation stones were laid for 10 cooperative warehouses and warehouses with a total capacity of 1,400 metric tonnes were also inaugurated. These warehouses will provide farmers and cooperative institutions with facilities for the safe storage of their produce and help reduce distress sales at low prices.
Amul is establishing the Amul Bengal Dairy Project at the Howrah Food Park in West Bengal with an investment of approximately Rs 700 crore. Once fully operational, the project will be capable of processing around 30 lakh litres of milk per day. The plant will have the capacity to produce approximately 1,000 metric tonnes, or 10 lakh kilograms, of curd and other cultured dairy products every day. With this capacity, it will be the world’s largest curd manufacturing plant. The project’s proposed daily production capacity includes 10 lakh litres of packaged milk, two lakh litres of UHT milk, one lakh litres of ice cream, 20 metric tonnes of paneer, 10 metric tonnes of ghee and 10 metric tonnes of sweets. In addition, the plant will be capable of producing around 2.5 lakh packs of flavoured milk every day. The Amul Bengal Dairy Project will expand modern processing, value addition, cold-chain and marketing facilities in West Bengal’s dairy sector. It will provide milk-producing farmers and livestock rearers with a better, transparent and stable market for their produce and help increase their incomes. The project will play an important role in strengthening dairy cooperatives in West Bengal, creating new employment and income opportunities in the rural economy, and ushering in a new chapter of the White Revolution in the State.
