Bihar aims to emulate Gujarat model in milk procurement

Patna, Feb 4: Inspired by the success of

's Amul which started the dairy movement in the country,

has drawn up a five-year roadmap to become a major milk-producing state.

Aiming to procure 44 lakh litre of milk daily, the dairy roadmap forms part of a comprehensive agriculture policy drawn up by the state for 2012-17.

"Bihar is working hard to successfully follow the Amul model of dairy," Chief Secretary Ashok Kumar Sinha told PTI. He said Bihar now holds the ninth position in the list of milk-producing states, Tamil Nadu being at the top.

Verghese Kurien, the man behind Amul, laid the foundation of the Cooperative of Milk Production Federation (COMFED) in Bihar, which he visited twice.

The managing director of COMFED, Harjot Kaur Bamhara, said that by the end of 2017, the state would be able to increase milk procurement to 44 lakh litre per day.

The daily offtake of milk at present is 14.96 lakh litre. Bihar figures ninth in milk production in the country. According to National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) data, milk production in Bihar which was 48.55 lakh litre in 2005-6 rose to 65.17 lakh litre in 2010-11.

"The objective is to link 8.4 lakh families to dairy milk in Bihar by 2017," Bamhara said.

PTI