Kolkata, Dec. 21 -- The Animal Resources Development (ARD) department has commissioned a new state-of-the-art Banglar Dairy milk processing and milk products plant at its Haringhata campus in Nadia.

The facility has an initial milk processing capacity of 1 lakh litres per day, extendable to 2 lakh litres per day. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee virtually inaugurated the plant on Thursday at the Business and Industry Conclave.

The unit can also produce 20,000 kg of curd, 2,000 kg of paneer, 2,000 kg of ghee and 5,000 litres of lassi per day. These products will be sold under the Banglar Dairy brand, which officials said has strong market demand.

A senior ARD department official said the facility will ensure consistent availability of high-quality milk and value-added products through advanced processing systems and standardised protocols.

The plant incorporates environmentally efficient technologies aimed at minimising effluent discharge, while energy-efficient operations and optimised use of water and power are expected to improve profit margins, business volumes and sales realisation, and reduce overhead costs.

The official added that the project will support incremental growth in farmers' earnings by strengthening procurement systems, improving productivity and integrating modern, energy-efficient technologies across the dairy value chain.

The project involves a total financial outlay of Rs 65.58 crore and is expected to generate direct employment for about 2,000 people and indirect employment for nearly 49,000 through associated value-chain linkages.

Construction of the plant began in September 2023, and it took a little over two years to become operational.

The state government's Banglar Dairy brand was launched in November 2021, enabling state-run dairy units to process and market milk and milk products under a common brand while adhering to prescribed quality standards.

Before this, milk from rural Bengal was largely sold through the state government's Mother Dairy project in Calcutta.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.