Milk Vita to build another milk processing plant
Milk Vita will set up a new plant at Baghabarighat in Sirajganj to expand its storage and production capacity under a new project that aims to curb imports and help dairy farmers avert losses.
Dairy farmers in Shahzadpur under the district produce about 5.5 lakh litres of raw milk a day. Of the produce, Bangladesh Milk Producers' Cooperative Union Ltd, also known as Milk Vita, buys about 2.5 lakh to 3.5 lakh litres.
Small farmers face problems in marketing the rest of the milk and are forced to sell it in the local market at throwaway prices. The situation becomes acute particularly during peak production period of November to March.
To solve the problem, the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved a Tk 75 crore project yesterday, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said.
Once the plant is set up, Milk Vita will be able to buy the additional two lakh litres of raw milk a day and process them into milk powder.
“This will benefit dairy farmers and reduce import of powdered milk,” the minister told reporters after an Ecnec meeting.
Milk Vita produces pasteurised milk, powdered milk and other milk products, and supplies them across the country.
The plant, scheduled to be completed by 2017, will increase production of powdered milk by 25 tonnes a day, while the country's daily average import of powdered milk stands at 59 tonnes.
Bangladesh imports 21,700 tonnes of milk powder a year, the planning minister said.
The only powder milk processing plant of Milk Vita can produce up to 12.5 tonnes a day.
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