Rajkot Dairy establishes new milk processing facility in India

Rajkot District Co-operative Milk Producers Union (Rajkot Dairy), a dairy cooperative based in Gujarat, India, has established a new milk processing plant with an investment of INR1bn ($16.65m).

The plant has been set up in cooperation with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the national-level body involved in promoting, financing and supporting milk-distribution organisations in India.

NDDB provided about 82% of the funding for the facility, while Rajkot Dairy invested the remaining amount.

Currently operating on a trial basis, the plant is expected to become fully functional by next month, a move which will boost the processing capacity of Rajkot Dairy from 300,000 litres per day to 600,000.

Said to be the first of its kind in India, the plant features an advanced processing unit and its machinery has been imported from Germany, France and Canada.

Rajkot Dairy chairman Govind Ranparia was quoted by Business-standard.com as saying that the new milk processing plant will improve the quality of the company’s products.

"The new processing plant is fully automatic and Rajkot Dairy is the only dairy in India which has this kind of hi-tech processing unit," Ranparia added.

Once the plant is fully operational, Rajkot Dairy plans to gradually dismantle the old unit to make space for the production of ice cream, cheese and other items under the Amul and Gopal brands.

The cooperative also plans to set up a chilling centre near Wankaner, Gujarat, in cooperation with the NDDB.

Rajkot Dairy, a member of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), reported an average milk procurement of 387,000 litres in 2013-14.