Dairy cooperatives are to get a boost with a Rs 95.66 crore investment to upgrade and expand their milk handling capacity.
The Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa announced the investment plan in the Assembly today in the backdrop of the growing milk procurement and sales by the cooperatives.
Jayalalithaa said milk procurement has increased to 24.36 lakh litres as of November 2012 as compared with 20 lakh litres previously. Dairy products sales had increased to Rs 3,583 crore in 2012-13 from Rs 2,791 crore in the previous year.
The investment will encourage the dairy cooperatives and farmers, she said.
The projects to be taken up include: expanding milk chilling, processing and storage capacities at a cost of Rs 20.90 crore in Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Vellore, Villupuram, Salem, Dharmapuri, Dindigul and Kanchipuram-Thiruvallur milk unions; infrastructure in dairy units in Chennai suburbs of Ambattur, Sholinganallur and Madhavaram will be expanded at a cost of Rs 37.90 crore; and 6,500 milk quality analysers will be purchased at a cost of Rs 35.70 crore to be issued to primary milk cooperatives.
The Chief Minister also announced cash incentives for dairy farmers and dairy societies to encourage them to improve quality.