UP Govt entrusts NDDB Dairy Services to empower 1.50 lakh women farmers in 17 districts

Uttar Pradesh government launched ‘Mahila Samarthya Yojana’ (MSY) in the budget of 2021-22 to promote producer-owned enterprises exclusively owned by women

Uttar Pradesh government has mandated NDDB Dairy Services (NDS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to promote women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship by setting up women-owned milk producer companies to harness the dairying potential of UP’s 17 districts. A milk producer company is a Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) which embodies principles that are similar to Cooperatives.

Encouraged by the results of Balinee Milk Producer Company, Jhansi and Kashee Milk Producer Company, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh government launched ‘Mahila Samarthya Yojana’ (MSY) in the budget of 2021-22 to promote producer-owned enterprises exclusively owned by women and had allocated an amount of Rs. 200 Crore in the budget. Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh praised Balinee as a model organisation for women during last year’s IDF World Dairy Summit 2022.

The project will be anchored by UP State Rural Livelihood Mission and the technical support will be provided by NDS. Under a collaborative agreement between UPSRLM and NDS, 3 women Milk Producer Companies (MPCs) have been incorporated, namely, Saamarthya Milk Producer Company, Raebareli; Baba Gorakhnath Kripaa Milk Producer Company, Gorakhpur and Srijanee Milk Producer Company, Bareilly which will together procure milk from over 2,800 villages of 17 districts enrolling 1.50 lakh women dairy farmers and procuring over 7 lakh litres of milk per day by the fifth year of operations. 

On the initiative, C. Indumathy, State Mission Director, UP SRLM said, “MSY is a path-breaking scheme of the U.P. government to promote women empowerment through skilling of rural women and supporting their entrepreneurship. Since its announcement, GoUP has earmarked a substantial outlay towards the implementation of the scheme and we are progressing well. UPSRLM, by using the expertise of NDS, is aiming at not only promoting women’s entrepreneurship in rural UP substantially but also bring about a fundamental change in the lives of these women and their families, thereby realising the vision of Yogi Adityanath Ji – Empowered woman makes the state power.”

Meenesh Shah, Chairman, of NDDB & NDDB Dairy Services said, “Uttar Pradesh is the second largest milk-producing state in the country, however, the state still has a large untapped potential and focused interventions in the State through producer-owned enterprises can immensely contribute to realising the Government’s vision of ‘Making India Dairy for the World’. This initiative of bringing together the women dairy farmers will not only provide market access and livelihood to women farmers but will also unleash the entrepreneurship potential of women belonging to the targeted 17 districts which are predominantly rural.”

Uttar Pradesh government launched ‘Mahila Samarthya Yojana’