Guwahati, Jul 10 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday said 53 bulk milk coolers will be provided to dairy cooperatives and milk producers under public- private-partnership mode to support the sector.

Reviewing the dairy sector, Sonowal directed the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department to prepare a roadmap for inspiring the youth to engage in the field through generation of self employment opportunities, an official release said.

Also Read | Maharashtra Reports Single Highest Spike of 7,862 Coronavirus Cases, 226 Deaths in Past 24 Hours; COVID-19 Tally Jumps to 2,38,461, Fatality Toll reaches 9,893.

"The Chief Minister announced that the 53 bulk milk coolers in possession of Dairy Development Directorate would be provided to dairy cooperatives and milk producers under public-private-partnership mode," it added.

He stated that collateral free loans will be provided to dairy farmers through Kishan Credit Cards and asked the officials concerned to hold discussions with banks so that the milk producers do not face any difficulty in taking advantage of the scheme.

Also Read | Maharashtra Reports 7,862 New COVID-19 Cases, 226 Deaths: Live News Breaking & Coronavirus Updates on July 10, 2020.

"Huge employment opportunities would be generated if Assam can capture this market by increasing milk production as the state produces only one third of its total milk requirement," Sonowal said.

He stressed on the need to study the problems in the demand-supply-marketing chain while directing the department to engage a dedicated team to assess the potential in the market.

Referring to successful homegrown milk brands like Sitajakhala and Kanyaka, Sonowal emphasized the need to attract the local entrepreneurs towards milk production and processing industries while giving importance to milk by- products like curd, ghee, cream, paneer, butter, ice-cream and chocolate.

He directed the officials to travel to facilities of well-known milk brands in the country like AMUL and Sudha for obtaining technical knowledge and asked for a meeting between the milk producers and him at the earliest.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)