Key Highlights

• PM Modi will inaugurate three Banas Dairy projects worth ₹407.56 crore in Banaskantha on October 30, during his two-day Gujarat visit.
• The biggest project is the ₹324.77 crore Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre (BBBRC) at Bhildi, spread over 127 acres.
• A ₹51.65 crore French fries plant at Sanadar and a ₹31.14 crore automated warehouse (ASRS) at Palanpur will be inaugurated virtually.
• Foundation stones will be laid for Bio-CNG plants at Tharad (75 MT dung capacity) and Radhanpur (100 MT).
• Banas Dairy serves 4.18 lakh milk producers and already runs four Bio-CNG plants.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate three Banas Dairy projects worth a combined ₹407.56 crore in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district on Friday, October 30, and virtually lay the foundation stones for two Bio-CNG plants at Tharad and Radhanpur. The event is part of his two-day visit to Gujarat on October 30 and 31.

Taken together, the projects show how Banas Dairy, one of the country’s largest milk cooperatives, is moving well beyond milk collection and processing. Its new investments span animal genetics, automated logistics, potato processing and waste-to-energy — a model that could shape how other dairy cooperatives diversify their income and that of their members.

Breeding Centre, Warehouse and French Fries Plant

The largest of the three projects is the Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre (BBBRC) at Bhildi, built at a cost of ₹324.77 crore. Spread across 127 acres, it is intended to serve as a centre of excellence for animal breeding, focusing on genetic improvement and innovation. Under the Centre’s Rashtriya Gokul Mission, ₹38.83 crore has been sanctioned for the facility, including ₹2 crore for donor animals. The centre receives technical support from the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), has been approved under the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) scheme, and is financially supported by NABARD.

The Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) at Palanpur, built for ₹31.14 crore, handles automated storage and dispatch of ultra-high-temperature (UHT) dairy products. Its nine-level steel-rack system can hold 11,000 pallets and is designed to improve the speed, traceability and efficiency of warehousing. Developed in-house, the system has helped reduce costs, with the additional revenue benefiting the dairy’s 4.18 lakh milk producers. It can also be adapted for other dairy products.

The French fries processing plant at Sanadar in Deodar taluka has been developed at a cost of ₹51.65 crore. Work to raise its capacity from two tonnes to five tonnes per hour began in April this year. Banas Dairy has built an integrated chain covering laboratory plantlet development, seed-crop cultivation, cold storage of potatoes and final processing — a model that, according to the project details, is not currently available through any other cooperative or agency in India. The Palanpur and Sanadar facilities will be inaugurated virtually.

Bio-CNG Plants to Turn Cattle Dung Into Income

The two new Bio-CNG plants will process 75 metric tonnes of cattle dung at Tharad and 100 metric tonnes at Radhanpur. Banas Dairy already runs four such plants, which convert dung into Bio-CNG for vehicle fuel and organic fertiliser. The new facilities are expected to expand clean-energy and fertiliser output while giving livestock farmers an additional source of income from cattle dung.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi and Assembly Speaker and Banas Dairy chairman Shankar Chaudhary will attend the event. State ministers Jitu Vaghani and Rushikesh Patel, along with Kamlesh Patel, Pravin Mali, Swaroopji Thakor, MPs, MLAs, officials and milk producers from Banaskantha, are also expected to be present. The cooperative sector will be represented by NDDB chairman Dr Meenesh Shah, the chairman and managing director of GCMMF, heads of affiliated milk unions and Banas Dairy managing director Sangram Chaudhary.

(With inputs from IANS)

Key Highlights

• PM Modi will inaugurate three Banas Dairy projects worth ₹407.56 crore in Banaskantha on October 30, during his two-day Gujarat visit.
• The biggest project is the ₹324.77 crore Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre (BBBRC) at Bhildi, spread over 127 acres.
• A ₹51.65 crore French fries plant at Sanadar and a ₹31.14 crore automated warehouse (ASRS) at Palanpur will be inaugurated virtually.
• Foundation stones will be laid for Bio-CNG plants at Tharad (75 MT dung capacity) and Radhanpur (100 MT).
• Banas Dairy serves 4.18 lakh milk producers and already runs four Bio-CNG plants.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate three Banas Dairy projects worth a combined ₹407.56 crore in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district on Friday, October 30, and virtually lay the foundation stones for two Bio-CNG plants at Tharad and Radhanpur. The event is part of his two-day visit to Gujarat on October 30 and 31.

Taken together, the projects show how Banas Dairy, one of the country’s largest milk cooperatives, is moving well beyond milk collection and processing. Its new investments span animal genetics, automated logistics, potato processing and waste-to-energy — a model that could shape how other dairy cooperatives diversify their income and that of their members.

Breeding Centre, Warehouse and French Fries Plant

The largest of the three projects is the Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre (BBBRC) at Bhildi, built at a cost of ₹324.77 crore. Spread across 127 acres, it is intended to serve as a centre of excellence for animal breeding, focusing on genetic improvement and innovation. Under the Centre’s Rashtriya Gokul Mission, ₹38.83 crore has been sanctioned for the facility, including ₹2 crore for donor animals. The centre receives technical support from the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), has been approved under the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) scheme, and is financially supported by NABARD.

The Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) at Palanpur, built for ₹31.14 crore, handles automated storage and dispatch of ultra-high-temperature (UHT) dairy products. Its nine-level steel-rack system can hold 11,000 pallets and is designed to improve the speed, traceability and efficiency of warehousing. Developed in-house, the system has helped reduce costs, with the additional revenue benefiting the dairy’s 4.18 lakh milk producers. It can also be adapted for other dairy products.

The French fries processing plant at Sanadar in Deodar taluka has been developed at a cost of ₹51.65 crore. Work to raise its capacity from two tonnes to five tonnes per hour began in April this year. Banas Dairy has built an integrated chain covering laboratory plantlet development, seed-crop cultivation, cold storage of potatoes and final processing — a model that, according to the project details, is not currently available through any other cooperative or agency in India. The Palanpur and Sanadar facilities will be inaugurated virtually.

Bio-CNG Plants to Turn Cattle Dung Into Income

The two new Bio-CNG plants will process 75 metric tonnes of cattle dung at Tharad and 100 metric tonnes at Radhanpur. Banas Dairy already runs four such plants, which convert dung into Bio-CNG for vehicle fuel and organic fertiliser. The new facilities are expected to expand clean-energy and fertiliser output while giving livestock farmers an additional source of income from cattle dung.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi and Assembly Speaker and Banas Dairy chairman Shankar Chaudhary will attend the event. State ministers Jitu Vaghani and Rushikesh Patel, along with Kamlesh Patel, Pravin Mali, Swaroopji Thakor, MPs, MLAs, officials and milk producers from Banaskantha, are also expected to be present. The cooperative sector will be represented by NDDB chairman Dr Meenesh Shah, the chairman and managing director of GCMMF, heads of affiliated milk unions and Banas Dairy managing director Sangram Chaudhary.

(With inputs from IANS)