Mother Dairy’s mega milk processing plant in Nagpur

Nitin Gadkari, union minister for Road Transport and Highways, has virtually laid the foundation stone of Mother Dairy’s proposed state-of-the-art mega milk processing plant in Nagpur, Maharashtra. 

The virtual foundation stone laying ceremony was conducted during the inaugural day of Agrovision 2023 on 24 November in the presence of Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, minister for Revenue, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development, Maharashtra, Meenesh Shah, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), and Manish Bandlish, managing director, Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable.

The greenfield plant, being set up with investment of over Rs. 500 crore will be spread across a sprawling campus of 25 acres in Butibori Industrial Estate, Nagpur. The upcoming facility will have a processing capacity of 6 lakh liters of milk per day, expandable up to 10 lakh liters per day, and will manufacture poly pack milk, along-with other value-added dairy products such as ice-creams, chaach, lassi, paneer, etc.

Gadkari said this marks a new beginning in dairy development in Vidarbha and Marathwada. He said NDDB and Mother Dairy have been instrumental in increasing milk production across these regions. He urged NDDB and Mother Dairy to explore possible avenues for the fruits and vegetables and edible oils grown in the region, with the help of Safal and Dhara brands.

Patil said the dairy development project has provided a new ray of hope to the dairy farmers of the region. He said dairy farmers of the region were deprived of remunerative returns, leading them to venture out of the dairying business, but with NDDB-Mother Dairy foraying into the region, the situation has drastically changed. 

Shah highlighted the interventions and plans of NDDB and Mother Dairy for dairy development in Vidarbha and Marathwada, and stressed on the importance of the livestock and dairy sectors for the socio-economic development of the rural sector. He said as an outcome of the Vidarbha-Marathwada Dairy Development Project, the average milk procurement in the region stands at around 3 lakh liters per day, helping around 30,000 farmers from over 3000 villages in 11 districts. Benefits to the tune of around Rs. 2000 crore have been accrued to the dairy farmers of the region for their produce.

Manish Bandlish, Managing director, Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable, said Mother Dairy has established a robust procurement network and a strong booth/retail presence, and the organization is further fortifying the entire value chain in the region with the new plant. The proposed state-of-the-art Nagpur milk processing plant will mark Mother Dairy’s fifth facility in the Western region, complementing its existing plants in Gujarat and Maharashtra, while laying greater emphasis on the company’s commitment to grow beyond Delhi NCR, specifically focusing on the Western markets.

The proposed facility is among the largest dairy processing facilities of Mother Dairy and will house modern technology and infrastructure. The products manufactured from here will be distributed and marketed across various parts of the country.

Mother Dairy was commissioned in 1974. It is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). It was established under the initiative of ‘Operation Flood’, world’s biggest dairy development program launched to make India a milk sufficient nation. 

Today, Mother Dairy is a leading dairy player which manufactures, markets & sells milk and milk products including cultured products, ice creams, paneer, ghee, etc. under the Mother Dairy brand. The company has a diversified portfolio with products in edible oils under the Dhara brand and fresh fruits & vegetables, frozen vegetables & snacks, unpolished pulses, pulps & concentrates, etc. under the Safal brand.