Haryana unveils five-point dairy push to boost farmers’ income, empower women

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday announced five major initiatives aimed at accelerating the growth of the dairy sector, enhancing farmers' income and economically empowering women self-help groups. These decisions are expected to strengthen the dairy industry while giving a significant boost to the rural economy and the cooperative movement, an official statement said. Saini announced that women associated with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Cooperative Multipurpose Agriculture Credit and Service Societies (CMPACS) supplying milk to VITA (dairy cooperative) will be provided an incentive of Rs 10 per litre. This initiative is expected to encourage more women to take up dairy farming as a sustainable source of livelihood, he said.

The chief minister also announced the establishment of 'Sanjhi Dairies' on panchayat land in villages. These community dairies will provide modern facilities for livestock owned by women members of SHGs, helping reduce the cost of dairy farming while increasing their income. Saini further announced that the Haryana Dairy Development Cooperative Federation (HDDCF) will facilitate concessional interest loans for women members of SHGs and CMPACS to purchase milch animals. This initiative will enable more women to adopt dairy farming and become financially self-reliant, the statement said.

In another major decision, the chief minister announced an increase in the incentive under the Mukhyamantri Dudh Utpadak Protsahan Yojana for milk producers supplying milk to the HDDCF. Under the revised rates, the incentive during the summer season has been enhanced from Rs 5 per litre to Rs 7 per litre, while during the winter season it has been increased from Rs 3 per litre to Rs 5 per litre. Saini said that the state government is continuously working to enhance the income of farmers and women, strengthen the dairy sector and infuse new energy into the cooperative movement. He expressed confidence that these initiatives would provide fresh impetus to the rural economy and further establish Haryana among the leading dairy-producing states in the country.