New Delhi: In a bid to extend maximum support and best prices to the dairy farmers of Punjab, chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said state cooperative Milkfed will boost its milk supply to Delhi from 30,000 litres to 2 lakh litres a day.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a milk processing and butter plant in Ludhiana, CM Mann said, “At present 30,000 litres of milk is being supplied to Delhi. We want it to be raised to 2 lakh litres per day.”
The Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited (Milkfed) sells milk products under Verka brand and Verka will open its outlets in the national capital, for which an agreement with the Delhi government has been signed, he said.
Chief Minister Mann further said that he has asked Milkfed to launch an aggressive marketing campaign to capture a sizable chunk of consumer market, not only in Punjab but across the country and even abroad.
Verka products such as ghee, milk and butter have already created a niche in the nationwide market that could be widened with concerted efforts, the chief minister said.
Talking about the new plant inaugurated in Ludhiana, CM Mann said that it has been built at a cost of Rs 105 crore and the milk processing capacity is 9 lakh litres.
On lumpy skin disease, CM Bhagwant Mann said that the Punjab government has sent a detailed list of the cattle wealth that fell prey to the disease to the Centre and added that the state government will raise the issue with the Union government of providing compensation to the farmers who have lost their cattle due to this disease.
CM Mann further said that efforts are being made to ensure that the Centre declares this disease as pandemic.