The foundation stone for the world’s largest curd production plant has been laid at Howrah, West Bengal, under the Amul Bengal Dairy Project, marking a major step in strengthening India’s dairy processing infrastructure.

More About the News

• India is the largest milk producer in the world, and value addition in dairy products is essential for increasing farmers’ income, reducing post-harvest losses and expanding exports. 
• The upcoming Amul Bengal Dairy Project is expected to significantly strengthen the dairy cooperative ecosystem in eastern India.

Key Highlights

• The project is being developed under the Amul Bengal Dairy Project by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets dairy products under the Amul brand.
• The plant is being established at the Howrah Food Park, West Bengal, with an investment of approximately ₹700 crore.
• It will have the capacity to process around 30 lakh litres of milk per day.
• The facility will produce nearly 1,000 tonnes of curd and other cultured dairy products daily, making it the world’s largest curd production plant upon completion.

Objectives

• It aims to expand dairy processing capacity and promote value-added dairy products.
• It seeks to provide assured market access for milk producers through the cooperative model.
• It aims to strengthen the dairy value chain, improve rural livelihoods and generate employment.
• It seeks to enhance the availability of high-quality dairy products for domestic and export markets.

Expected Benefits

• The project is expected to benefit over 1.25 lakh dairy farmers, including more than 30,000 women milk producers in West Bengal.
• It will strengthen the dairy cooperative network and increase farmers’ income through better procurement and processing.
• It will reduce wastage of perishable milk by promoting value addition through products such as curd and fermented dairy items.

Exam Hook – Prelims

With reference to the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), consider the following statements:

1. It is the apex cooperative organisation that markets dairy products under the Amul brand.
2. It functions on a three-tier cooperative structure involving village societies, district unions and a state federation.
3. It was established as part of Operation Flood, India’s White Revolution programme.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3 ✅
(d) 1 and 3 only

One-line Wrap

The world’s largest curd production plant reflects the growing strength of India’s cooperative dairy model, promoting value addition, farmer welfare, women empowerment and sustainable rural economic growth.