The foundation stone for the much awaited manufacturing plant of Mother Dairy would be laid during the inaugural function of Agrovision on November 24, announed Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday. Announcing the dates for the mega expo, the minister also declared that the foundation stone of the international agriculture convention centre at the Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV) land on Lava-Dhaba Road would also be laid simultaneously.
The Maharashtra cabinet had announced a grant of Rs225 crore for the convention centre project in July.
The city MP further declared that a plant to produce crude petrol from waste plastic for use in vehicles will be inaugurated next month.
Gadkari also announced that a five-star hotel is proposed near the venue of this world class convention centre, to accommodate guests coming from other states and abroad. “The hotel design is by famous architect Habib Khan. Both events at Agrovision’s venue at Dhaba would be attended by a galaxy of dignitaries, including Union cabinet minister of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying Parshottam Rupala, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, revenue minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) chairman Meenesh Shah and others,” he said.
Sharing details about the Mother Dairy plant, sources close to the minister told TOI that the total investment is pegged at Rs520 crore and it would generate 500 direct and over 2,500 indirect jobs. “The plant would come up in the second phase of Butibori Industrial Estate. The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has granted in-principle approval for setting up the unit on 25 acres. The bhoomipujan ceremony would be held online,” they said.
A wholly-owned subsidiary of NDDB, which was commissioned in 1974 as part of Operation Flood, Mother Dairy will produce milk and related products to be supplied pan India. “It will procure 30 lakh litres of milk from farmers in Nagpur and adjoining districts. Ever since its entry in the city on Gadkari’s insistence in 2016, the company has deposited over Rs2,000 crore directly through online mode into the farmers’ account. Earlier, dairy related material and products used to be sourced from other cities like Hyderabad, and supply was erratic. With the new plant, everything would be available in the city. The minister plans to make Nagpur a big hub for dairy and related products,” they said.
Agrovision would have seminars and conferences on a variety of topics related to agriculture and farmers, and scientists from across India are expected at the three-day event. “We will be conducting a pilot project during the event to produce salt and sweet water prawns, which would help Vidarbha farmers. An American company has shown willingness to invest in this technology and the State Bank of India (SBI) has agreed to provide loans to farmers for this project. Farmers can earn hefty income by producing prawns,” said a source.
Super specialty hosp for animals: Gadkari
Gadkari said a super specialty hospital (SSH), exclusively catering to cows, had already started at the Maharashtra Animal Sciences and Fisheries University (MAFSU). “A fodder producing company has also begun working near Wardha. This fodder remains fresh for about a year due to packaging. At SSH, test tube babies of cows having good capacity to produce milk would be created by using semen of Brazilian bull Soberano,” he said. Gadkari added that the SSH had started working at Mafsu’s veterinary animals clinic near Alankar Talkies recently.
