Bhopal, April 24 (IANS) Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Friday that the Madhya Pradesh government is accelerating efforts to expand the dairy sector, positioning it as a key pillar for boosting farmers’ income and strengthening the rural economy.​

Chairing a review meeting of the Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Dairy Federation, the Chief Minister said dairy activities are being actively promoted under the “Farmer Welfare Year” to create sustainable livelihood opportunities.​

“Dairy development is emerging as an effective means to increase farmers’ income, and the government is working to expand its reach across villages through a cooperative framework,” he said in a statement.​

Emphasising the role of institutional support, Yadav noted that collaboration with the National Dairy Development Board has led to improvements in milk procurement and in farmers’ price realisation.​

He stressed that the National Dairy Development Board’s expertise should be utilised from the state level down to grassroots dairy societies to ensure efficiency and consistency in operations.​

The Chief Minister directed officials to implement a time-bound action plan to expand dairy cooperative coverage, set up new processing and product manufacturing units, modernise animal feed plants, and digitalise the dairy value chain.​

He also called for strengthening branding and adopting innovative packaging to widen market access for milk and dairy products.​

“Effective utilisation of the National Dairy Development Board’s experience, along with better branding and packaging, will help expand the reach of dairy products,” Yadav said.

He added that farmers and youth must be encouraged to adopt modern dairy technologies and innovative practices.​

According to officials, the state has set a target to connect 26,000 villages with dairy activities and increase daily milk procurement to 52 lakh kilograms. In 2025–26, 1,752 new dairy cooperative societies were formed, while 701 inactive societies were revived, reflecting a renewed push for cooperative expansion.​

The meeting was informed that the state currently records daily milk procurement of around 9.67 lakh kilograms, supported by the installation of 153 bulk milk coolers.​

To improve transparency and efficiency, the government has introduced a mobile-based milk procurement system, enabling farmers to access real-time data on milk quantity, quality, and pricing, while a field force monitoring application has been launched to strengthen operational oversight.​

Efforts are also underway to improve milk quality and processing capacity, with projects including a milk powder plant in Indore and upgrades to dairy facilities in Shivpuri and Gwalior, as the state moves to build a more robust and technology-driven dairy ecosystem.​

–IANS

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