World’s largest curd manufacturing plant
Why in News?
The world's largest curd manufacturing plant in news because Union Home Minister Amit Shah officially laid its foundation stone under the mega Amul Bengal Dairy Project.
Location and Financial Scale
- Geographic Site: The plant is being built at the Sankrail Food Park in Howrah, located near Kolkata, West Bengal.
- Financial Investment: The integrated project is backed by a massive budget allocation of ₹700 crore.
- Developing Authority: The facility is being constructed by the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited (better known globally as Amul Dairy).
Production Capacity and Outputs
- Record Curd Production: Once fully completed, it will produce 1,000 metric tonnes (10 lakh kilograms) of curd and cultured dairy items every single day.
- Milk Processing Power: The facility possesses an ultimate processing capability of up to 30 lakh litres of fresh milk daily.
- Regional Product Focus: A primary manufacturing focus will be dedicated to Mishti Doi (sweet curd) and Tok Doi (sour curd) to cater to intense local Bengali consumer demand.
- Diverse Product Basket: Beyond curd, the plant's daily target outputs include Press Information Bureau (PIB):
- 10 lakh litres of standard packaged milk
- 2.5 lakh packs of flavoured milk
- 2 lakh litres of Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) long-shelf-life milk
- 1 lakh litres of ice cream
- 20 metric tonnes of paneer
- 10 metric tonnes each of ghee and traditional sweets
Socio-Economic Impact
- Farmer Benefits: The mega-facility directly links and secures steady livelihoods for more than 1.25 lakh local dairy farming families across West Bengal.
- Women Empowerment: Over 30,000 women milk producers are explicitly integrated into this cooperative procurement network.
- Rural Employment: It is projected to generate thousands of direct factory jobs and indirect logistics employment opportunities across Eastern India.
- Breed Improvement Drive: Alongside the plant, the central government plans to allocate resources in Bengal to improve livestock breeds, striving to ensure rural families own highly productive milch animals.
