Minister of Home Affairs & Cooperation Amit Shah appreciated National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)’s initiatives in the Indian Dairy Sector and asked the Dairy Board to further strengthen cooperative dairying by playing a major role in establishing viable dairy cooperatives in uncovered Panchayats/villages having potential for dairying.
Shah also highlighted the need for multi-commodity cooperatives, common brand for export of produce of cooperatives, promotion of organic produce, better capacity utilisation of milk processing facilities by cooperation among cooperatives, self-reliance in manufacturing dairy machinery & also export of indigenous dairy equipment through IDMC Ltd, a subsidiary of NDDB. He also mentioned that the subsidiary companies of NDDB have to play a lead and stellar role in achieving these.
The minister also acknowledged NDDB’s initiatives to strengthen dairying in neighbouring countries and African nations, and said India needs to become “Dairy to the World” through export of quality milk and milk products to further enhance farmers’ income. This will help fulfill Prime Minister’s goal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
The NDDB Chairman briefed Shah about India’s dairy sector, NDDB’s ‘Farmers First’ vision for undertaking all its initiatives following cooperative strategies, scientific dairy husbandry practices adopted by farmers, efforts of NDDB’s subsidiaries to strengthening dairy cooperatives thereby improving the livelihood of crores of farmers and thus furthering the objectives of NDDB. Chairman and Board of Directors of NDDB thanked the minister for his guidance and assured him of full support towards the development of the dairy sector.
During the event, Meenesh Shah, Chairman, NDDB, welcomed Shah in the presence of Cooperation Secretary Gyanesh Kumar, Joint Secretary Pankaj Kumar Bansal and NDDB Board of Directors Varsha Joshi, Additional Secretary (Dairy Development), Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, GoI, Shamalbhai Balabhai Patel, Chairman, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd., Nihal Chand Sharma, Chairman, Himachal Pradesh Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Ltd and NH Kelawala, Vice Chancellor, Kamdhenu University.
