National Dairy Development Board chairman Dr Meenesh Shah has said that the NDDB intends to develop a dairy value chain in Ladakh that would provide profitable returns to the producers from milk business.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the newly refurbished dairy plant of Ladakh Dairy Cooperative Federation in Leh on Wednesday.
Dr D.B. Mishra, LG of the Union Territory of Ladakh, inaugurated the plant that was refurbished by the NDDB.
He said that an integrated approach involving creation of an organized milk procurement, processing and marketing system will strengthen dairying and augment rural income.
Till now the procurement and distribution in the region was in the unorganized sector.
A spokesperson of the NDDB said that it has entered into a tripartite MoU with the Union Territory of Ladakh and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council for managerial and technical support to Ladakh Dairy Cooperative Federation for five years. The Federation will work towards establishing a transparent and remunerative milk procurement system for the dairy farmers.
Dr Shah informed that a grant of Rs 40 lakh has been sanctioned to the Federation to start and smoothly run the operations.
The milk procured will be processed and sold under Oma brand. Ladakh Federation will also supply fresh pasteurised milk to Indian Army base in Ladakh.