NDDB approves 42 dairy projects worth Rs 221 crore

New Delhi: National Dairy Development Board has approved 42 projects with a total outlay of Rs 221 crore for 12 states, including Bihar and Gujarat. The funds for these projects, sanctioned under the National Dairy Plan-I, will be used to boost fodder production, encourage village-based milk procurement, strengthening of semen station and among other activities, said a statement released by Agriculture Ministry.

Of Rs 221 crore sanctioned for these projects, Rs 158.95 crore will grant assistance and the rest Rs 62 crore will be as share of end implementing agencies (EIAs), it said. The National Dairy Plan (NDP) I, launched in 2012, aims to increase the productivity of milk animals and thereby increase milk production to meet the rapidly growing demand. The scheme looks at providing rural milk producers with greater access to the organised milk-processing sector.

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) through EIAs comprising state governments, state livestock boards, state cooperative dairy federations and others is implementing the NDP-I.

NDP-I would focus on areas with higher potential in the 14 major milk producing states such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Kerala, accounting for 90 per cent of the country's milk production.