Patna: Chief minister Samrat Choudhary said on Monday the Bihar govt has fixed an ambitious target of producing one crore litres of milk per day and is equipping livestock rearers with modern technology, training, improved breeds, animal health services and stronger dairy infrastructure to achieve it.Addressing a programme at the Biharsharif Dairy Project campus in Nalanda district after laying the foundation stone for a Bihar State Milk Cooperative Federation’s (Comfed) 20-tonne-a-day curd and lassi plant, Choudhary said the govt aimed not only to meet Bihar’s demand for milk and milk products but also to take the Sudha brand to international markets.At the event, the CM distributed deep freezers to 300 Sudha retail vendors and flagged off animal lifting and transport vehicles. He also laid foundation stones for an HPCL petrol pump to be operated by Comfed and a Sudha cafeteria at the dairy project campus.Choudhary announced that a separate cooperative federation would be created to promote goat rearing in Bihar. Goat milk production will be linked with the proposed federation, which will develop systems for collection, processing and marketing. The initiative, he said, would raise incomes of lakhs of rural families engaged in goat rearing, particularly women, broaden the dairy sector and add a new base to the rural economy. He said Jeevika Didis were doing commendable work in goat rearing.The CM said the new 20-tonne curd and lassi plant would help farmers secure better prices and give fresh momentum to the rural economy. Nalanda, he added, would be developed as Bihar’s major milk production and dairy processing centre through modern units, cold chains and marketing networks.Choudhary said the govt was equally concerned about animal welfare. Animal lifting vehicles would help provide quick treatment to accident-hit animals, while Prime Minister Pashu Jan Aushadhi Kendras would be opened in every block to supply affordable, quality veterinary medicines. A total of 1,000 such centres will be established across blocks.He said Bihar accounts for 25% of India’s total milk production. Comfed plans to open 200 new Sudha outlets, with locations identified for 88 of them. Rural haats will be set up on available govt land in all villages for selling milk, vegetables and fish. About 2,000 milk producers’ cooperative committees were formed in six to seven months.Deputy CM Bijendra Prasad Yadav, rural development minister Shravan Kumar and dairy, fisheries and animal resources minister Nand Kishore Ram addressed the programme.
