To herald a white revolution in the state, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today emphasized the need to make a shift from the traditional agriculture to the dairy farming. Reviewing the National Dairy Plan (NDP) in a meeting with the Managing Director National Dairy Development Board Dilip Rath and the senior officers of the animal husbandry here at Punjab Bhawan this morning, Badal said that it was the need of the hour to bring persification of agriculture in Punjab by switching over from the Wheat-Paddy rotation towards the dairy farming as an alternative to the conventional agriculture which was no longer remunerative to the farmers due to the squeezed margins of profit. Badal underscored the need for the implementation of NDP in the right earnest so that our farmers especially the small and marginal could be immensely benefitted. He assured Rath that the state government would extend all support and cooperation in this mission of GoI so that much needed impetus could be given to the state’s rural economy. He told Rath that all the requisite conditions for the implementation of NDP had already been complied with by the state. Taking part in the deliberations, Rath apprised the Chief Minister that the basic objective of the NDP was to enhance the productivity of milch animals thereby increasing the milk production besides providing rural milk producers with greater access to organize milk processing sector. He said that the project was aimed at covering about 2.7 million milch animals in 40000 villages spread out in 14 major milk producing states including Punjab, contribution 90% of the milk production. Rath said that the NDP Phase 1 would be implemented with a total investment of about Rs.2242 crore comprising Rs. 584 crore as international development association credit, Rs.171 crore GoI share, Rs.282 crore as share of End Implementing Agencies (EIA) participating in the states and Rs.200 crore by the NDDB and its subsidiaries. In case of Punjab EIAs would be Punjab livestock Development Board, Punjab Dairy Development Board, Milkfed, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary & Animal Sciences University Ludhiana and Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana. Referring to the pattern of funding, Rath informed 100% grant-i-aid for nutrition and breeding activities, 25% of project cost of capital expenditure in case of new semen stations would be shared by EIA, 50% of the project cost of capital expenditure in case of village milk besides the procurement agencies will be shared by EIA. Badal asked the animal husbandry department to work out their proposals in conformity with the NDP for upgradation its entire network of milk and cattle feed plants run by Milkfed besides strengthening the marketing network for the sale of milk and milk products not within the state but also across the country and even abroad. Badal stressed on the need for considerably improving the quality of cows and buffalos bread to increase the milk production in the state through novel techniques of artificial insemination. The Chief Minister also mentioned that the state government would soon notify its new animal breeding policy. He pointed out that the milk production of buffalos has drastically reduced as compared to Neeli and Murrah breeds which gave milk on an average of 20 to 22 kg. He underlined the need to produce better quality of milch cattle and asked the state Animal Husbandry Department to tie up with Guru Angad Dev University of Veterinary Sciences to undertake extensive research in this field. He said that Punjab had a tremendous potential to increase the milk production which must be taped to supply the milk to the processing plants in the cooperative and private sectors to ensure better prices to the milk producers. He also asked the Milkfed to upgrade their milk plants on the modern lines to cope with the enhanced milk handling capacity, which would ultimately result in heavy profits from processing of milk and milk products. Meanwhile, few progressive dairy farmers also put forth their free and frank views in the meeting for the promotion of dairy sector in a big way. They demanded common service centers to be set up in every block of the districts with heavy concentration of dairy units especially in Moga, Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib from where they could utilize the services of machinery for milking and silage cutting on the custom higher basis. Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Chairman Punjab State Farmers’ Commission Dr. GS Kalkat, Financial Commissioner Animal Husbandry Mr.Jagpal Singh Sandhu, Principal Secretary Cooperation Viswajit Khanna, KJS Cheema and Gaggandip Singh Brar both Special Principal Secretaries to Chief Minister, Vice Chancellor GADVASU Dr. VK Taneja, Vice Chancellor PAU Dr. BS Dhillon, Director Animal Husbandry HS Sandha, MD Milkfed BS Sidhu, Director Dairy Inderjit Singh and President BKU Balbir Singh Rajewal.