BL Agro invests Rs 1K crore in cow breeding & dairy tech project 

BL Agro, a leading FMCG company, has launched BL Kamdhenu Farms, which comprises a center of excellence for cow breeding and dairy technology, in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. The company will initially invest Rs 1,000 crore in the project that aims to create a circular economy for farmers.

This initiative, called Satat Kamdhenu, which was inaugurated by Chirag Paswan, Union minister of food processing industries, is expected to provide an impetus to the dairy and livestock industry in Uttar Pradesh by leveraging technology and scientific advancements to improve cattle genetics, milk productivity, and overall herd health. 

Present at the occasion were Ghyanshyam Khandelwal, chairman, BL Agro, Ashish Khandelwal, managing director, BL Agro and Navneet Ravikar, CEO, BL Agro and CMD, Leads Connect Services, its agritech venture. 

Ashish Khandelwal, managing director, BL Agro said, “We are delighted to share that BL Kamdhenu will serve as the focal point for research, training, and implementation of best practices in cattle breeding and dairy technology. The initial investment is around Rs 1,000 crore. The project at full capacity will cost Rs 3,000 crore. Our key focus has been to create sustainable and a circular economy that minimizes agri waste and boost the local community. Our center of excellence for cow breeding and dairy technology will not only aim to enhance milk production and improve breed quality but also help farmers in achieving greater economic sustainability.”

BL Kamdhenu integrates advanced breeding technologies (IVF & ET), a feed mill for internal and external consumption, and bio-methanation for CBG production, ensuring a self-sustaining, eco-friendly model. The project will initially house 5,000 indigenous cows, focusing on sustainable dairy farming. This number will increase to 10,000 cows.

The event saw BL Agro unveiling its new subsidiary Leads Agri Genetics, which will work toward enhancing animal genetics, livestock improvement, plant breeding, crop genomics, and work towards sustainable and ethical breeding.

While BL Kamdhenu will focus on cattle breeding, Leads Agri Genetics will work towards plant and animal genetics such as preserving and enhance indigenous livestock breeds and heirloom crop varieties, develop breeds and crop varieties that reduce environmental impact, such as lower methane-emitting cattle and resource-efficient crops. 

It will follow bioethics and regulatory standards to ensure genomic selection that aligns with sustainability and animal welfare with a focus on training and supporting farmers, cooperatives, and agribusinesses in leveraging genomic data for better productivity.

Navneet Ravikar, CEO, BL Agro, said, “In the initial stage, BL Kamdhenu will benefit 5,000 local farmers in the next 2-3 years and as it scales up its production to full capacity, it would benefit 1-2 lakh farmers in a radius of 20 kilometers around Bareilly.” 

BL Agro will sell high milching cows to the local community and provide them with best quality feed and buy back the milk from the farmers. The center will also have a field processing unit that would be working with the farming community to source raw materials such as milk from them. They would work closely with the farming community to source farm waste for the proposed CBG plant. BL Kamdhenu underscores BL Agro’s commitment to supporting India’s dairy sector and creating a whole ecosystem that aims to commercialize the rural economy.