Rs 100-cr dairy unit near Jaipur

Bassi plant to have collection capacity of 110,000 litres a day

To increase milk-processing capacity, the Rajasthan government has decided to set up a Metro Dairy plant in Bassi, about 28 km from Jaipur. This will be in addition to the milk plant being run by the dairy in Jaipur.

The plant, which will have a collection capacity of 110,000 litres a day, is expected to cost Rs 100 crore. The state government also plans to set up two more processing plants in the Chittur and Jhalabad districts. These two plants will each have the capacity to process 100,000 litres of milk a day.

The state government has milk-processing plants in all districts and the new plants have been proposed in view of a significant increase in the collection of milk all over the state.

According to a state government official, the Rajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation's collection has increased to 190,000 litres a day from 170,000 litres a day in the previous year.

The federation also provides 17,000 litres of milk to Mother Dairy and the Gujarat Dairy Federation. The federation is also supplying milk to Jammu and Kashmir and is exploring markets in other states.

According to Rajasthan Agriculture and Dairy Minister Prabhu Lal Saini, who was here this week, the dairy federation has reduced the prices of its products by 5 per cent being sold under the brandname "Saras". "The federation is selling milk, ghee, and butter at reduced prices now and has been successful in increasing sales," he said.

The minister said the federation had recorded good sales in the past few months. To empower co-operative societies, the state government had decided to give a Rs 1.36 crore subsidy package, he added.

The state government has launched several schemes to boost the production of fodder in the state.

The four cattle-fodder centres run by the federation had produced 220,000 tonnes of fodder last year, the minister said.

The federation is planning to introduce products like ice-cream, coffee, sugar-free softy, and other packaged items. "New items will open up avenues for the federation to increase business," the minister said.

To reach out to consumers, the federation has recently opened a 24-hour "Saras Parlour" in Jaipur, and given the encouraging response, it is planning to open some more.

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The milk graph rises

• The state government also plans to set up two more processing plants in the Chittur and Jhalabad districts
• These two plants will each have the capacity to process 100,000 litres of milk a day
• New plants have been proposed in view of a significant increase in the collection of milk all over the state
• The Rajasthan Co-operative Dairy Federation's collection has increased to 190,000 litres a day from 170,000 litres in the previous year
• Private labels for two new business categories, beverages and homes, will be launched shortly
• Beverages to fall under the umbrella of Food Bazaar