Historic dairy leap for Ladakh: Hon’ble Union Minister of Home Affairs & Cooperation inaugurates NDDB-managed Ladakh Milk Federation’s several farmer-oriented initiatives

Historic dairy leap for Ladakh: Hon’ble Union Minister of Home Affairs & Cooperation inaugurates NDDB-managed Ladakh Milk Federation’s several farmer-oriented initiatives

06, May 2026, Anand: Chief Guest, Shri Amit Shah, Hon’ble Union Minister of Home Affairs & Cooperation, in the presence of Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Panchayati Raj, inaugurated various landmark farmer-oriented initiatives of the NDDB-managed Ladakh Milk Federation on 1 May 2026 at Leh, Ladakh. Shri Amit Shah laid the foundation stone of the Kargil Dairy Plant with a capacity of 10,000 litres per day, launched paneer and curd as value-added products of the Leh Milk Plant, and also rolled out the pan-India Android-based Automatic Milk Collection System (AMCS). He further flagged off a mobile laboratory for milk and milk products and inaugurated a containerised Bulk Milk Cooler (BMC) at Kargil. On the occasion, Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt. Ltd. and Ladakh Milk Federation signed an agreement to enable the supply and retail distribution of a range of non-competing Mother Dairy products in Ladakh. The top five highest milk pourers for 2025–26 were also felicitated for their outstanding performance and sustained excellence in milk production.

Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor, UT of Ladakh; Prof. SP Singh Baghel, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Panchayati Raj; Shri George Kurian, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Minority Affairs; Haji Mohd Haneefa Jan, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Ladakh; Shri Ashish Kundra, Chief Secretary, UT of Ladakh; Ms Varsha Joshi, Additional Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India and Dr Meenesh Shah, Chairman, NDDB graced the occasion.

In his address, Shri Amit Shah, Hon’ble Union Minister of Home Affairs & Cooperation stated that significant initiatives are launched today under the visionary cooperative model of the Hon’ble PM. To unlock Kargil’s dairy potential, the foundation stone of a modern dairy processing plant was laid in Kargil, which will enhance the self-reliance of local families. He highlighted key initiatives including deployment of a mobile testing laboratory, introduction of paneer and curd at Leh plant, installation of a 4 KL BMC at Kargil, and digitisation of village-level milk procurement through NDDB’s Android-based Mobile DCS app under AMCS. Shri Amit Shah mentioned that the agreement between Ladakh Milk Federation and Mother Dairy is a crucial step towards connecting Ladakh with national markets. The future plans include a 50,000 litre per day dairy processing plant in Leh, setting up heifer rearing centres and availability of improved breeds with the aim of achieving growth in dairying over the next 10 years. He advised NDDB to expand dairy network and set a target of increasing milk procurement from 7,000 ltr/day to 21,000 ltr/day.

Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Panchayati Raj noted that Ladakh’s dairy growth is supported by schemes like NPDD and NLM. Stressing “Sahkar se Samriddhi”, he called for linking unorganised milk producers with cooperatives and reaffirmed the Government of India’s support for dairy and animal husbandry in the region. He stated that White Revolution 2.0 aims to advance India's dairy sector and uplift the rural economy. He acknowledged the vital contributions of women in dairying. The Minister also advised for wider coverage of Artificial Insemination (AI) and adoption of advanced breeding technologies such as sex-sorted semen to enhance productivity and sustainability.

Dr. Meenesh Shah, Chairman of NDDB, conveyed that since the 2022 tripartite MoU with the UT Administration and LAHDC, NDDB has brought professional management and transparency to Ladakh’s dairy sector. Key milestones include the revival of the Leh dairy plant in 2023 and expansion of milk procurement from 74 farmers in one village to 1,700 across 28 villages, reaching 7,000 litres daily. NDDB also ensured fresh milk supply to the Indian Army, while Mother Dairy’s integration of fruits and vegetables is diversifying markets and strengthening Ladakh’s rural economy.

Prior to the programme, Shri Amit Shah visited the exhibition stalls, which highlighted efforts to strengthen dairy cooperatives, agriculture and local livelihoods in Ladakh. NDDB and its subsidiaries Mother Dairy and IDMC Ltd showcased their cooperative-strengthening measures including consolidation of the Ladakh Oma brand, emphasising the farm-to-consumer model. The Pashmina: Heritage of Ladakh stall displayed traditional craftsmanship and the agriculture & horticulture stall featured Ladakh’s organic produce, value-added items and climate-resilient practices.