In a bid to revive the dairy industry in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to popularise cow milk and the by-products of milk.

The government has also decided to set up a one-lakh litre capacity milk processing plant in Kannauj this year.

"And, in the next one year, our endeavour will be augment the total capacity of milk collection to 10 lakh litres per day," Uttar Pradesh minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary has said.

Making a strong pitch for popularising cow milk in the state, he said based on its utility and usefulness, the state government has decided to undertake measures for its wider publicity.

The Minister, who was recently on an official tour of Chhattisgarh, said in UP, it is the fat content, which determines the price of the milk, while in Chhattisgarh, it is its usage, which actually determines its cost.

"In UP, cow milk costs Rs 22 per litre, while buffalo milk is priced at Rs 35 a litre. In Chhattisgarh, one litre of cow milk costs Rs 120," Chaudhary, UP minister for Dairy Development, Religious Affairs, Culture, Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj told PTI in an interview.

Listing the benefits of cow milk, he said, "Cow milk has very high nutritional value. It boosts immunity and helps in combating fat and cholesterol. Ghee made of cow milk is used as a base is preparation of various ayurvedic medicines".

To promote cow milk, the government will be going for separate packaging of cow milk and ghee.

Observing that milk collection by the UP government-run Pradeshik Co-operative Dairy Federation has declined in last five years, Chaudhary said, "In the last five years, milk collection has come down from 7-8 lakh litres per day to almost 2 lakh litres per day.

"Dairy industry is facing a loss of almost Rs 400 crore.

To revive the dairy industry in the state, the government has already issued directions to focus on by-products of milk such as sweets and edible calcium products".

Accusing the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government of destroying the dairy industry, he said, "The former SP government virtually destroyed the dairy industry in the state. The co-operative dairies operating at the district level were forced to wind up, resulting in dip in milk collection." 

In order to give a boost to the dairy industry, the The state government has decided to send students from agricultural universities and other institutes for a two- month-long training programme to Anand in Gujarat, under the guidance of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).

To a question on having Aadhaar-like unique identification number for cows and cattle to prevent their smuggling, Chaudhary said, "We are already working on it.

Apart from this, work is also going on to revive the Gau Sevaa Aayog." PTI NAV