Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated a milk powder plant set up at a cost of Rs 76.5 cr. located in Indore Cooperative Milk Union’s milk plant in Manglia on Saturday.
The facility was among several projects in agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and food processing sectors that the Prime Minister inaugurated during an event held in in New Delhi. The plant has a capacity to produce 30 metric tonnes of milk powder per day.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who was present for the inauguration in the city, thanked PM Modi and said the unit, established under the National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD), would bolster the growth of the State’s dairy sector.
"Madhya Pradesh's current contribution to national milk production basket is about 9% and we aim to raise it to 20% in the next 5 years. The state government is committed to ensuring fair prices for farmers' milk," Yadav said.
He said that the Modi government is consistently increasing the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat and soybean in recent years, benefiting farmers in the state.
The state government has recently introduced a Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana (price difference payment scheme) for soybean growers to ensure they receive fair prices for their produce, Yadav said.
Officials explained that if traders in markets purchase soybean at rates lower than the MSP fixed by the Centre, the state government will pay farmers the difference. "The Bhavantar amount will be directly credited to farmers' bank accounts, bringing them cheer ahead of Dhanteras," Yadav said.
