Pact to help cooperatives to generate an additional revenue of about ₹44 crore per year
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RITU_RAJ_KONWAR
New DelhiNational Cooperative Dairy Federation (NCDFI) and Assam Rifles signed an agreement on Tuesday to expand the supply of milk and dairy products to military units across the north-east region, which is estimated to help cooperatives generate an additional revenue of about ₹44 crore per year.Cooperatives like Amul, Nandini and Warana have already been supplying UHT milk, whole milk powder to units of Assam Rifles. However, the current MoU, signed in New Delhi, will expand more cooperatives to participate and supply to more units. Many people in NE States have been using UHT milk and milk powder due to limited local production.Under the expanded pact, fresh milk and butter will now reach 72 military establishments across seven north-eastern States, while Amul will additionally supply cheese and malt-based food, NCDFI said in a statement. According to Meenesh Shah, Chairman of NCDFI as well as National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the federation had supplied dairy products to the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) for four decades. The new partnership deepened that relationship, he said.Dairy coops’ capability“Such initiatives reflect the capability of dairy cooperatives to efficiently serve the requirements of defence and paramilitary forces,” Shah said.Director General of Assam Rifles Lt Gen Vikas Lakhera said that timely access to quality dairy products mattered for the welfare of personnel deployed across remote locations. The paramilitary force, widely known as the “Friends of the North Eastern People,” also saw the initiative as a way to support dairy farmers through regional cooperatives, he added.Published on June 2, 2026
