Dairy cooperatives from all over northeast took part in the NEDCC
HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, May 11: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday addressed milk cooperative unions from across all northeastern states who took part in the North East Dairy Cooperative Conclave 2022 in Guwahati.
West Assam Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union Ltd (WAMUL), popularly known as Purabi Dairy, hosted the first-ever North East Dairy Cooperative Conclave 2022 at the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra Auditorium in Guwahati on Wednesday, in collaboration with National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India Limited (NCDFI), to bring together dairy cooperatives from all over northeast.
Assam minister for Agriculture AHVD and Cooperation, Atul Bora, Meenesh Shah, chairman NDDB and Satish Marathe, director, Reserve Bank of India graced the conclave as guests of honour. The conclave was also attended by Shamalbhai Patel, chairman, GCMMF, Mangal Jit Rai, chairman NCDFI, Rajesh Parjane, chairman, Godavari Milk Union. Besides, concerned senior officials of government of Assam and dairy farmer representatives and officials of dairy cooperative unions of northeastern states took active part in the conclave.
Apart from them, around 500 dairy farmers from Assam and around 100 farmers from other northeastern states took part in the event. Representatives from Gomati Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd (Tripura), Manipur Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union Ltd (Manipur), The Sikkim Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd (Sikkim), Mizoram Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union Ltd (Mizoram), Dimapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd (Nagaland), East Khasi Hills District Cooperative Milk Union Ltd (Meghalaya) and Arunachal Pradesh Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd (Arunachal Pradesh) took active part in the deliberations.
During the conclave a cattle feed manufacturing facility of Purabi Dairy was inaugurated by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma that will be supplying Purabi Daana to the dairy farmers of Purabi Dairy. Further, the conclave also witnessed signing of the tripartite agreement between the government of Assam, NDDB and East Assam Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union Ltd. (EAMUL), Jorhat for managing EAMUL by NDDB for a period of five years.
During the conclave, CM Sarma showed optimism to the dairy development of the region and assured that soon people of the region would see a sea of change in the dairy sector in this region.
On this occasion, Meenesh Shah, chairman, NDDB reaffirmed its commitments to dairy development in Assam and the entire North East. He specifically highlighted the responsibility entrusted by chief minister Sarma to widespread dairy development in the state with the objectives to boost milk production in the state, expand the coverage of dairy cooperatives and at the same time, to provide quality and safe milk and milk products to the consumers.
Shah also mentioned that the dairy development in the state will be undertaken through various activities like animal induction, productivity enhancement of existing milch animals supported by scientific feeding and health management, cooperative institution building in the villages to provide round the year market access to dairy farmers and creation of dairy processing infrastructure across the state. He indicated that these multifaceted interventions will be undertaken by a joint venture that is being formed between the government of Assam and NDDB.
Moreover, the conclave emphasised the importance of doubling farmers’ income through dairy through allied activities like bee keeping and production of bio manure and usage of biogas and production of slurry-based bio manure for usage of dairy farmers. Ceremonial distribution of certificates to beneficiaries of biogas and organic manure projects implemented by Purabi Dairy with financial support from NDDB and Sustain Plus Energy Foundation (an affiliate of Tata Trusts) was done by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The conclave discussed various dairy related schemes, initiatives and interventions which are proving to be hugely beneficial for the dairy farmers of the region.
The conclave highlighted the importance of cooperatives that are playing a critical role in sustainable dairy farming by small and marginal dairy farmers in the northeastern region of the country.
Speaking about organising the first-ever North East Dairy Cooperative Conclave, Satya Brata Bose, managing director, WAMUL, said: “We are pleased to bring together a number of major dairy cooperatives working in the Northeast region. This conclave has provided an effective platform for all the Northeast India states to take cue out of the dairy development model for enhancing the lives and livelihoods of their own dairy farmers.”
Mangal Jit Rai, chairman, NCDFI emphasised that the network of institutional structure to promote cooperative dairying in the Northeast states has been less dense in comparison to elsewhere in the country and needs to be improved.
Similarly, the NCDFI chairman also emphasised on the need of good governance in dairy cooperatives, initiatives for member welfare to create belongingness, development of relevant and required infrastructure to organise the milk supply chains apart from the importance of adoption of technologies in production, processing and marketing of milk and milk products. “The dairy cooperatives in the Northeast region should create a niche market for their products. They should utilise the services of NCDFI eMarket to procure various raw materials and dispose-off the milk products in bulk by taking advantage of the efficient price discovery mechanism on the platform,” he said.
