Amul to start operations in Bihar, Assam

Kolkata, May 26 (IANS) The Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers' Union -- the makers of Amul -- is setting up a Rs 250-crore processing plant in West Bengal, and is expanding operations in the state's districts and also foraying into Bihar and Assam, officials said here on Friday.

"We are expanding milk procurement operations in districts like Malda, Darjeeling, Howrah and East Midnapore in Bengal. This apart, we are foraying into milk procurement in Bihar and both procurement and processing in Assam," R. Chattopadhyay, Officer on Special Duty, Amul Dairy, Kolkata, said here.

According to him, sourcing activities will start in July-August this year.

Amul is a brand owned by the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union in Gujarat.

According to Dipak Chakrabarty, Officer on Special Duty, North East Region, the processing plant with a capacity of one lakh litres per day (LLPD) is under construction in Guwahati.

"Milk collection will be 15,000 to 20,000 litres per day. We are targeting for first 90 days an initial output of 50,000 litres per day. Our target is one lakh litres per day," Chakrabarty said.

In Bihar, the collection target is 30,000 to 40,000 litres per day, he said.

Chakrabarty said Odisha is also on their radar.

As for Bengal, a processing plant of 10 LLPD capacity, expandable up to 15 LLPD, with a total outlay of about Rs 250 crore, is being set up at Food Park, Sankrail, over 16.7 acres of land purchased from the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), the officials said.

"Products like milk, fermented products, ice cream, UHT milk, white butter and ghee would be manufactured in this plant, which should be completed by 2018," Chattopadhyay said.

The brand will also launch its fresh paneer in Bengal before the Durga Puja.

Amul started its operations in Bengal in 2004 with an initial volume of 50,000 litres per day, which has now touched eight lakh litres per day, including fresh dahi.

"The business turnover under the Kolkata operation touched Rs 1,650 crore by March 2017. We are targeting Rs 1,900 crore by March 2018," Chakrabarty said.