Assam's White Revolution: New Dairy Scheme to Boost Self-Reliance

In a significant move to fortify Assam's dairy industry, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched a new initiative at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati, aimed at boosting self-reliance among dairy farmers. The scheme promises financial assistance to around 20,000 farmers linked with 601 dairy cooperative societies, offering Rs. 5 per litre of milk for up to 30 litres daily.

The scheme, with a budget allocation of Rs. 10 crore for 2025-26, targets farmers contributing to organized dairy processing projects. Currently, Assam generates about 29 lakh litres of milk daily, but only a fraction is processed and distributed by cooperatives. Sarma emphasized the need to increase this volume to 10 lakh litres a day, with ongoing efforts to enhance processing capacities.

Significant agreements with Amul and the National Dairy Development Board have been announced to set up a new facility near Rani, Guwahati, and expand existing plants, including Purabi Dairy. Plans for 4,000 new dairy cooperatives are in the pipeline, targeting a daily processing capacity of 10 lakh litres by 2030. These steps are seen as transformative, expected to position Assam prominently in the dairy sector nationwide.

(With inputs from agencies.)