The Jammu and Kashmir government has revealed that Pulwama district remains the largest contributor to processed milk in Kashmir, with daily milk production reaching approximately 7.45 lakh litres during the flush season.
In the Pampore constituency alone, milk production exceeds 1.5 lakh litres per day in the summer months. However, only 10 per cent of this milk is currently being processed, prompting efforts to enhance commercial processing capacity.
According to information tabled in the Assembly, the Jammu and Kashmir Milk Producers Cooperative Limited (JKMPCL) procures 20,300 litres daily from 203 dairy cooperative societies in Pulwama for processing. Additionally, private milk plants such as Haleeb, Zamzam, and Khyber, located in Pulwama, collectively process around 60,000 litres per day. Another 15,000 to 20,000 litres of loose milk are lifted daily and supplied to Srinagar.
To increase commercial processing and value addition in the dairy sector, several schemes have been introduced. Under the Integrated Dairy Development Scheme (IDDS), subsidies are provided for setting up milk processing and packaging units. These include a subsidy ceiling of Rs 15 lakh for modular milk pasteurisation and packaging units, Rs 5 lakh for bulk milk cooling units, and Rs 3.5 lakh for setting up machinery for paneer, khoya, dahi, ice cream, softy, butter, ghee, and cheese production. Additionally, under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), an incentive of Rs 20 lakh is provided to Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for establishing milk value addition startups, along with Rs 2 lakh as working capital and Rs 3 lakh as a 50 per cent subsidy for transportation vehicles.
Currently, JKMPCL processes 2.5 lakh litres of milk per day and has proposed to increase its capacity to 5 lakh litres per day over the next five years with support from the National Programme for Dairy Development. Further, under HADP’s Cluster Development Project, milk processing capacity in Jammu and Kashmir is expected to increase by an additional 5 lakh litres per day through new large-scale processing units in Pulwama and Jammu.
Despite Pulwama’s leading role in milk production and processing, the government stated that there is no proposal at present to establish a dedicated industrial estate in Kakapora block for milk processing. However, youth in the area can benefit from schemes such as the HADP’s Milk Value Addition Startups, which provides Rs 25 lakh in assistance to SHGs, and the Integrated Dairy Development Scheme, which offers 50 per cent financial assistance of up to Rs 15 lakh for milk processing facilities.
The government also clarified that no proposals exist for setting up new veterinary or sheep husbandry extension centres in Trich, Dougam, and other villages in Pampore, but veterinary services are being provided through mobile veterinary units, accessible via a toll-free helpline.
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