Chakkar milk plant boosts economy, dairy production

The Chakkar milk plant in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, established under an Indo-German collaboration, is significantly enhancing the livelihoods of dairy farmers while providing fresh dairy products to local communities and military personnel.

The plant plays a crucial role in promoting self-reliance in dairy production, with a daily milk processing capacity of 50,000 litres. It supplies packaged cow’s milk to Mandi and Kullu districts and produces a wide range of dairy products, including ghee, butter, yogurt, flavoured milk, paneer, and milk powder.

The plant’s daily production figures include 700 kg of ghee, 200 kg of butter, 700 kg of yogurt and 1,000 kg of paneer. New flavours of milk such as turmeric, cardamom and strawberry have already been introduced, with coffee-flavored milk set to launch soon. The plant’s reach extends to Manali, Kullu, Bilaspur, and Hamirpur, with further expansion planned to areas like Pandoh, Nerchowk, and Sundernagar through additional distributors.

In addition to its dairy production, the plant supports the nutritional needs of young children by supplying products like Nutrimix and vermicelli to anganwadi centres. Ghee production takes place at both the Chakkar and Rampur units, and the plant plays a key role in supplying dairy products to military personnel, particularly during festive seasons.

The Chakkar plant operates with the support of six milk chilling centres and 25 bulk milk procurement centres, involving 216 dairy cooperatives and benefiting over 16,000 farmer families. Recent increases in milk procurement have followed a government price hike, with cow’s milk priced between 41 and 45 rupees per litre. The plant receives around 80,000 litres of milk daily.