"The Milkfed is always engaged in the endeavour to provide best remunerative prices to the dairy farmers as well as top quality milk products to the consumers. The rationale behind this is to prop up the dairy farming sector in Punjab which has the potential to act as the game changer for transforming the economy of the State."Disclosing this in a statement, Cooperation Minister, Punjab, S. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said Milkfed is actively pursuing the agenda of implementing futuristic projects to boost the dairy farming scenario in Punjab. He divulged that a Buffalo Calf Rearing project worth Rs. 20 Crores is under implementation at Ludhiana, Mohali, Jalandhar and Patiala which will help the farmers reduce the puberty period of buffaloes for milk production.Furthermore, he said that a new project ‘Verka Mega Dairy’ at Bassi Pathana has been planned with RIDF loan from NABARD in the year 2017-18 with project outlay of Rs 110 Crores under Phase I. When completed, this will create an additional milk processing capacity of 2 Lakh Litres Per Day (LLPD) with asceptic packaging of milk. Not only this, but a new automatic fermented unit with a capacity of handling 2.5 LLPD milk is under implementation at Verka Mohali Dairy with a project outlay of Rs 110 Crores. This project will be completed by August 2018 and will produce 100 MT of curd.
Listing other remarkable projects, he said that a new 30 Million Tonnes (MT) powder plant at Verka Jalandhar Dairy is under implementation with a project outlay of Rs 32 Crores. Apart from this the expansion and modernization of Verka Amritsar Dairy with a project cost of Rs 52 Crores is under implementation which will help increase the milk handling capacity.All the projects at Mohali, Jalandhar and Amritsar will create additional milk handling capacity of 6 LLPD thereby increasing total milk handling capacity of Milkfed to 26 LLPD.Disclosing more, MD Milkfed Mr. Manjit Singh Brar said owing to the path breaking steps taken by the Milkfed in accordance with the directions of the Additional Chief Secretary (Cooperation) Mr. D.P. Reddy, 4 dairies in Punjab viz; Verka Mohali Dairy, Verka Ludhiana Dairy, Verka Jalandhar Dairy & Verka Patiala Dairy were the recipients of Quality Mark Logo constituted by NDDB in July 2017 which lays down the processes required for ensuring quality and safety of milk and milk products this prestigious quality certification.Mr. Brar further said that apart from helping the dairy farmers, these projects will also help create employment opportunities as the dairies will be handling more milk and as such more jobs.