Mother Dairy’s upcoming 6 lakh litre per day milk-processing plant at Butibori, Nagpur, is expected to be operational by next year, according to NDDB chairman Meenesh Shah. Speaking at the Agrovision Expo’s inaugural function, Shah said the facility will also manufacture value-added products, including the regionally popular orange barfi and other traditional sweets.
Alongside the milk plant, NDDB has laid the foundation for a cattle feed plant in Butibori, also slated for completion within a year. The facility will supply high-quality fodder, designed to improve cattle nutrition and enhance dairy productivity in the region.
Shah highlighted Mother Dairy’s rapid growth, noting that the company began operations in 2016 by procuring just 175 litres of milk, rising to a current capacity of 6 lakh litres, reflecting significant expansion and increased farmer participation.
During the event, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari expressed concern over the disturbing nutritional conditions in Melghat, a region with high malnutrition-related deaths despite being a major milk and khoa production hub. He pointed out the absence of a milk collection centre in Melghat and stated that plans are underway to establish one soon.
Gadkari further noted that Vidarbha lags considerably in milk production, with the entire region failing to match the output of even a single district in Western Maharashtra. To address this, he proposed establishing cow farms to increase cattle populations and strengthen dairy productivity across Vidarbha.
