India Boosts Dairy Sector with Rs 2790 Crore NPDD Scheme Revamp

The Union Cabinet in India has approved an enhanced budget for the National Program for Dairy Development (NPDD), allocating a total of Rs 2790 crore. The revised program aims to modernize dairy infrastructure, improve supply chains, and create significant job opportunities, particularly for women in rural areas.

The Indian Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has greenlit the Revised National Program for Dairy Development (NPDD), enhancing its budget by an additional Rs 1000 crore, now reaching Rs 2790 crore for the 15th Finance Commission cycle (2021-2026), according to an official statement.

This revamped initiative targets the modernization and expansion of dairy infrastructure to bolster the sector's growth and productivity. The NPDD aims to enhance milk procurement, processing capacities, and quality control, thereby providing farmers with better market access and pricing through value additions.

Key components of the scheme include improving dairy infrastructure, such as milk chilling plants and testing labs, and promoting new village dairy cooperative societies. The initiative also emphasizes sustainable dairy development with the help of international cooperation, notably from Japan, benefiting over 18.74 lakh farmers and generating over 30,000 job opportunities to date.

(With inputs from agencies.)