A ceremonial groundbreaking was held in late February on Cargill India's greenfield dairy feed mill in Bathinda. The project will cater to the growing need for quality feed for Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan dairy farmers. The feed manufacturing plant will cover 8.5 acres, and use the latest technology from Cargill USA and Cargill Italy feed manufacturing plants.
The project is expected to generate employment opportunities for approximately 200 people, along with providing training for 20,000 farmers annually on dairy nutrition, calf rearing and farm management best practices, bringing the relevant nutrition, training and operational excellence best practices, the plant will produce nutritious diet for cows and allow for crop diversification, increasing grain usage by 12,500 metric tons per year.
"India is already the largest milk-producing country with key dairy states like Punjab, Haryana, and parts of Rajasthan," said Shri Siraj Chaudhry, chairman, Cargill India. "With the milk demand in India expected to grow by … 50% by 2023, the animal feed mill will play an essential role in catering to the increasing demand. Cargill Animal Nutrition plays a critical role in the feed to food supply chain, and these series of investments in Punjab further reiterate our continued commitment to India and help to make Punjab our dairy hub in India."
"This initiative will equip local farmers with the knowhow and help in implementing a reliable supply chain for dairy processing," said Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal, deputy chief minister, Punjab.
Achyuth Iyengar, managing director of Cargill Feed & Nutrition, India business, added, "Cargill's investment will feed approximately 75,000 cows per year, incentivize over 3,000 farmers towards growing grains, and help in crop diversification."
Cargill will bring solution-driven methods to Punjab's dairy feed needs, such as NIR testing for incoming raw material quality, nutrient driven formulation and rigorous testing of raw materials and finished feed to improve results for farmers.
