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Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today laid the foundation stone of multinational Cargill's Rs 70 crore greenfield dairy feed project at Bathinda in Punjab.
The feed plant being setup up on 8.5 acres would produce feed about 1,20,000 MT annually and cater to the growing call for quality feed for dairy farmers of Punjab. Besides that it would also provide training to more than 20,000 farmers annually on dairy farming, farm management and animal nutrition.
Commenting on the launch, Deputy Chief Minister said, “Cargill India’s latest investment with this environment friendly plant will put Punjab on a global map with other leading model dairy regions the world over. This initiative will equip local farmers with latest knowhow and help in implementing a reliable supply chain for dairy processing."
Calling the feed unit a milestone in crop diversification plan in Punjab, Badal said Cargill had been running its units in more than 37 countries across the globe and now the company had targeted Punjab as the next investment destination in the dairy sector. He added that the feed unit would produce feed about 1,20,000 MT annually and cater to the growing call for quality feed for dairy farmers of Punjab and neighbuoring states.
"With the launching of Cargill unit in Punjab, its commitment for investment in Punjab would further give fillip to make Punjab a 'Dairy Hub' in India", he said adding that as the state has already the highest milk availability of 944 grams per persons across the country.
The Deputy Chief Minister has also announced that multinational food processing company ITC was all set to start its operations in Punjab and that he would lay the foundation stone of country's biggest food processing unit at Kapurthala at a cost of Rs. 700 crore on February 28. On the occasion Siraj Chaudhry, Chairman, Cargill India and Achyuth Iyengar, Managing Director said that the plant would start production in a year.
