Jorhat: In a major step to strengthen Assam’s cooperative dairy sector, the Bhoomi Pujan and foundation stone laying ceremony for three new milk processing plants was held on Friday at Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Dhemaji. The initiative marks the expansion of Purabi Dairy’s infrastructure across Upper Assam.
The main programme was held at Jorhat, where the foundation ceremony was performed by Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, who joined the event virtually from Delhi. The ceremony was attended by Assam Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister Krishnendu Paul, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, Power Minister Prasanta Phukan, Mariani MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi, National Dairy Development Board Chairman Meenesh Shah, Additional Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Varsha Joshi, and Assam AH&V Commissioner and Secretary M S Manivannan.
The ceremonies for the milk processing plants in Dibrugarh and Dhemaji were conducted virtually during the programme. Ranoj Pegu attended the programme in Dhemaji while Prasanta Phukan attended the event in Dibrugarh through video conferencing.
The proposed milk processing plant at Jorhat will have a capacity of one lakh litres per day and will be established by East Assam Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union Limited under the National Programme for Dairy Development. Similar plants with the same capacity will be built at Dibrugarh, while the plant in Dhemaji will have a capacity of 50,000 litres per day.
The plants in Dibrugarh and Dhemaji are being developed by the Assam Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department under RIDF-XXXI and will be operated by North East Dairy and Foods Limited under the Purabi Dairy brand. NEDFL is a joint venture between the Government of Assam and the National Dairy Development Board.
Milk procurement in Upper Assam is already being carried out by EAMUL under the Purabi Dairy network. Since 2023, the organisation has been managed by NDDB and currently operates in districts including Jorhat, Sivasagar, Golaghat, Dibrugarh, Darrang, Udalguri, Sonitpur, Charaideo, Biswanath, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Majuli. So far, the network has covered more than 1,300 villages through 540 dairy cooperative societies and involves over 11,000 farmers.
Officials said the new dairy plants will strengthen milk procurement and processing infrastructure in Upper Assam and help integrate local dairy farmers into organised procurement networks.
The projects are part of the Assam Dairy Development Plan, a major initiative of the Government of Assam in partnership with NDDB to expand cooperative dairying across the state. The programme aims to develop modern milk procurement and processing infrastructure and integrate thousands of rural households into a structured dairy value chain.
The state government aims to build milk processing capacity of more than 10 lakh litres per day across Assam through this initiative, creating better market access and income opportunities for dairy farmers.
During the event, the expansion of veterinary healthcare infrastructure was also highlighted with the inauguration of Multicare Veterinary Hospitals in Golaghat, Lakhimpur, Tinsukia and Kamrup, while foundation plaques were unveiled for similar facilities in Sivasagar and Sribhumi.
Officials said the expansion of Purabi Dairy infrastructure in Upper Assam and Barak Valley reflects the state’s effort to build a strong, farmer-focused dairy sector while ensuring access to hygienically processed milk and dairy products across Assam.
