Guwahati, March 2 West Assam Milk Producers' Co-operative Union Ltd (WAMUL), which markets its products under the brand Purabi Dairy, announced on Monday that it has commenced operations in the Barak Valley with the launch of a renovated milk processing plant handed over by the state government.
The plant in Gungoor, in the Cachar district's Silchar, was formally inaugurated by state Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister Krishnendu Paul, marking the official entry of organised cooperative dairy into the Barak Valley region.
The plant, originally belonging to the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department (AHVD), had remained inactive for several years, WAMUL said in a statement.
"It was handed over by the Assam government under the Assam Dairy Development Plan to North East Dairy and Foods Ltd (NEDFL) – a joint venture of the Assam government and NDDB – for its renovation and reconstruction, and operationalisation," it added.
The plant has been renovated and upgraded with new machinery to a processing capacity of 20,000 litres per day, WAMUL said.
With this, WAMUL currently operates a total of three plants across the state – one each in Guwahati, Dhemaji, and Silchar, with processing capacities of 1.5 lakh litres per day, 10,000 litres per day, and 20,000 litres per day, respectively.
The entire renovation work of the Silchar plant was completed in less than 10 months by IDMC Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
"With its commissioning, consumers in Silchar and surrounding areas will now have access to standardised, hygienically packed fresh pouch milk under the Purabi brand, addressing a longstanding gap in the availability of quality fresh milk in Barak Valley," the company said.
It will introduce its standard milk under the brand name 'Purabi Plus', available in 250 ml and 500 ml pouch packs, priced at Rs 18 and Rs 35 respectively, in the Barak Valley.
Milk products such as sweet curd, plain curd, lassi, paneer, ghee, ice cream, flavoured milk, and honey will also be available across the southern region of Assam.
Commenting on the development, NDDB chairman Meenesh Shah said: "The starting of this processing facility at Silchar paves the way for setting up a producer organisation to strengthen milk procurement systems in Barak Valley to benefit dairy farmers in the region."
The NEDFL has invested Rs 10 crore for the renovation and operationalisation of this plant, with financial support from the NDDB and the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF), he added.
"NDDB also provided the initial capital of Rs 2 crore for starting the procurement activities by NDDB Dairy Services (NDS)," Shah said.