In Bamutia, West Tripura, Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh was addressing at the opening of a milk processing facility.
On Saturday, Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh announced that the Central Government would provide comprehensive support to help Tripura achieve self-reliance in milk and fish production. Speaking at the inauguration of a new milk processing plant in Bamutia, West Tripura district, Singh highlighted the state’s significant potential in the animal husbandry and fisheries sectors.
Singh noted that India’s milk production is growing at an impressive 6% annually, surpassing the global average of 2%. He cited the success of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), pointing out that a milk collection center in Varanasi, under NDDB management, scaled its capacity from 11,000 liters per day to 3 lakh liters per day. The minister urged the Tripura government to take robust measures to eliminate foot and mouth disease in cattle, as outbreaks hinder dairy exports to European markets.
The newly inaugurated milk processing unit in Bamutia has a daily capacity of 40,000 liters, with 10,000 liters dedicated to producing curd and buttermilk.
Tripura has long aimed for food self-sufficiency. In 2002-03, the state set a 10-year goal but fell short by 2012-13, producing only 25,000 metric tons of meat, 12.5 crore eggs, and 1.05 metric tons of milk annually. A subsequent target set by the former Left Front government for 2020 also failed to reduce import dependency. In 2020, then-Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb emphasized efforts to double the income of farmers, including those in the dairy and poultry sectors, to bolster self-reliance.
