Patna: The Bihar State Milk Co-operative Federation Ltd. (Comfed) has planned to expand dairy operations across the Kosi region. An allocation of Rs 126.07 crore for Supaul, Madhepura and Saharsa districts will support milk collection, chilling and processing, alongside interventions in animal nutrition and breeding, said officials.Cold chain infrastructure investment is another central part of the initiative. Two milk chilling plants of 50,000 litres per day each have been planned at Bariyahi in Saharsa and Birpur in Supaul, while four mixed ration (TMR) plants are also planned to improve access to balanced feed for milch animals, chairperson-cum-managing director (MD) of Comfed, Shirshat Kapil Ashok, said on Monday.The fund allocation was approved in the state cabinet meeting chaired by CM Samrat Choudhary on Sept 23.Ashok said, “The Kosi Milk Union has grown over the years with the number of dairy cooperative societies increasing from 1,299 in 2020-21 to 1,921 in 2025-26, while farmer membership rising from 47,822 to 68,827. Daily milk procurement increased from about 30,000 kg to 105,000 kg over the same period.”Fifteen instant milk chilling systems in the region will supplement the union’s bulk milk coolers. Instant chilling can help preserve milk quality between collection and processing, particularly as procurement extends into new areas. It can also reduce the distance over which warm milk must be transported, he said.TMR combines roughage, such as green fodder or silage, with dry fodder, concentrates and other nutritional ingredients in a measured mixture. Each portion is designed to provide a more consistent diet than feeding these ingredients separately. For producers facing fodder shortages or relying on imbalanced rations, ready-to-feed TMR can make daily feeding more convenient and help reduce variation in feed quality. Better nutrition can support animal health, milk yield and milk composition.The planned buffalo heifer farm and provision of sex-sorted semen under the new project are intended to improve the availability and quality of milch animals over time. These investments can contribute to higher milk production, provided farmers can access the services consistently and see a return that justifies their cost.MD added, “Comfed’s processing plans aim to make better use of the milk collected in the region. A 30-tonne-per-day curd plant will increase capacity for fermented products at a time when sales of curd and lassi have risen sharply. A premium ice cream plant will expand the range of Sudha products that can be manufactured and marketed.”
