The Union Cabinet Minister during the event also inaugurated company’s exclusive outlet in the premises of Nagpur Airport Metro station and flagged off 20 new Mother Dairy ice cream push carts
Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways of India and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises recently launched the Mother Dairy Orange Mawa Barfi for consumers across Nagpur and suburbs.
Giriraj Singh, Union Minister, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Government of India also graced the occasion. The event also witnessed the presence of Dilip Rath, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board and key officials from Mother Dairy. The initiative is in line with the Company’s focus towards development and upliftment of farmers of the region.
Launching the new product, Nitin Gadkari said that, “regions Vidarbha and Marathwada have begun witnessing active participation in the dairy sector due to the efforts of NDDB and Mother Dairy. During March 2019, peak procurement of 2.70 lakh litres per day of milk was achieved from more than 23,000 milk producers covering over 2200 villages, and over Rs. 470 crore have been accrued towards payment for milk to these pourers till August 20, 2019. The launch of Orange Mawa Barfi is yet another step towards benefitting the orange growers of the state as this local delicacy will be made using orange juice and milk.”
The Union Cabinet Minister during the event also inaugurated company’s exclusive outlet in the premises of Nagpur Airport Metro station and flagged off 20 new Mother Dairy ice cream push carts.
Speaking on the occasion, Giriraj Singh said, “dairy development activities in Vidarbha and Marathwada have ensured an alternate source of income for the farmers. With support from NDDB and Mother Dairy, the milk pourers have benefitted from a fair, transparent and sustainable system. Testament to the fact is the induction of over 7,000 new milch animals in Vidarbha & Marathwada in the last 2 years. The launch of such dairy products will further help in enhancing the region’s milk production and thereby farmers income.”
Dilip Rath in his address mentioned that the efforts of NDDB and its subsidiaries have started showing the sign of rural prosperity in the regions of Vidarbha & Marathwada. On-ground activities such as development of Nagpuri breed, AI services, fodder development, animal health, ration balancing will further help in boosting the productivity of the region. NDDB is committed to expand the dairy development initiative to over 30,000 farmers spanning across over 3000 villages by the end of this fiscal.
Talking about the latest developments, Sangram Chaudhary, Managing Director, Mother Dairy said, “Mother Dairy is committed towards offering a delightful and convenient experience to its consumers in Vidarbha and launch of our Orange Mawa Barfi is in line with the same strategy. The product offering the goodness of milk and popular Nagpur oranges will be available in pack size of 400 grams priced at Rs. 220. In addition, we are strengthening our retail presence by expanding our booth network to 125 booths from 84 by end of this fiscal.”
Marathwada & Vidarbha regions have frequently faced agrarian crisis and farmer’s plight given the adverse climatic conditions depriving them of their development. These regions constitute of around 53% area of Maharashtra and face hurdles due to frequent drought, crop failure, cracked soils, etc.
To address these hardships, Government of Maharashtra signed an MoU with the National Dairy Development Board and its subsidiary Mother Dairy in October 2016 to undertake a dairy development initiative aimed to provide an alternate livelihood to the farmers.