Kerala self sufficient in milk production, to open milk-powder plant in Malabar
Kerala has attained self-sufficiency in milk production and is poised to start a milk-powder plant in Malabar to process excess milk, the Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development K Raju said on Thursday.
The work of the plant, coming up in Malappuram, will start this financial year. It will be run by Malabar Regional Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union (MRCMPU) with technical assistance from National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development will extend financial support to the plant.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches Nafed’s Honey FPO Programme
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday launched five Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) for producing honey which will be set up with the help of NAFED in East Champaran (Bihar), Morena (Madhya Pradesh), Bharatpur (Rajasthan), Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) and Sunderbans (West Bengal), an official statement said.
These FPOs will be one of the first sets of 2,200 FPOs approved by the government for the current financial year. The task of creating these FPOs has been entrusted mainly to Nabard (600 FPOs), Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (500), National Cooperative Development Corporation (500) and NAFED which will support 50 commodity specific FPOs.
Stubble burning: India Inc pitches in to solve the recurring issue in North India
As Northern India gets shrouded in smog clouds in yet another winter season, the spotlight is back on the issue of stubble burning. To tackle this complicated issue, extending a helping hand are the FMCG and food processing companies by working closely with farmers, especially in the States of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan on sustainable farming practices.
PepsiCo India said that as part of its Sustainable Farming Programme, which was initiated in 2016, it developed training modules and training sessions with agronomists in Punjab. These agronomists conducted hundreds of training sessions with farmers in the State to create awareness on alternates to stubble burning and helping them prepare for potato cropping in 2019-20.
