NDDP not taking over cooperatives, only helping them to revive, says minister.

The government is aiming to bring more dairy farmers in the unorganised sector under cooperatives model so that they get remunerative prices and quality products are made available in the market, Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, minister for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying on Tuesday said.

“We are focussing on those states where dairy cooperatives have not performed well and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) is providing technical support to several states for building cooperatives model where farmers get remunerative prices,” Singh said at briefing on the achievement of his ministry in the last 100 days of NDA government.

He said the ministry will talk to Uttar Pradesh, the biggest milk producer in the country to help boost cooperative structure in the state and bring farmers under organised sector. Sing said that the NDDB has supported running of Uttar Pradesh state cooperative plants at Rampur and Mirzapur.

In the response to recent memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with Madhya Pradesh milk union by NDDB, Singh said “Cooperatives are not owned by states and its farmers’ organisations, NDDB is providing only technical support without diluting the brand,”

“NDDB has signed MoUs with Madhya Pradesh for technical support for strengthening the Sanchi brand and expansion of the cooperative while strengthening marketing of its products. Once the organisation is strengthened it would be handed over to the state,” Alka Upadhyaya, secretary, department of animal husbandry and dairying said..

A senior official with animal husbandry told FE “there would be no dilution of brand Sanchi of Madhya Pradesh dairy cooperative and agreement with NDDB is to professionalise the cooperative and boost efficiency,”.

Recently the Madhya Pradesh government had approved to hand over the operations of State Cooperative Dairy Federation and the milk unions affiliated to it to the NDDB for the next five years.

NDDB had taken over the functioning of some other state cooperatives namely Mahananda Cooperative Dairy in Maharashtra and Sreeja Cooperative Dairy in Uttar Pradesh. The board has signed Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (OMFED) boosting the marketing and strengthening supply chains for the state cooperative.

Singh said India leads the world in milk production with a significant 57.62%growth in the past nine years.

India has secured the second spot globally in fish production, a record achievement following a substantial investment of Rs 38,572 crore in various schemes such as the Blue Revolution, Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.

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