Patna: The Bihar government is planning to bring goat milk into the organised dairy sector, with milk from goat farmers proposed to be collected through the existing cooperative network and processed and marketed under the Sudha brand.
Dairy, Fisheries and Animal Resources Minister Nand Kishor Ram announced the initiative, saying the government intends to organise goat farmers into block-level cooperative societies and connect their milk collection with Comfed’s existing procurement infrastructure.
Goat milk to become an additional source of farmer income
The initiative aims to reduce goat farmers’ dependence on the sale of live animals by creating a regular market for goat milk.
“A goat farmer’s income should not depend only on selling goats. Milk production can become an additional and sustainable source of earnings,” the minister said.
Also Read: NCDFI, Indian Army Deepen Four-Decade Dairy Partnership to Strengthen Supply Chains in Border Areas
The government is also working towards establishing a Goat Federation to provide an institutional framework for goat farmers and strengthen collective procurement, marketing and support services.
Comfed network to provide the foundation
The proposed model will draw on the cooperative structure that has been developed for cow and buffalo milk procurement in Bihar.
Under the plan, farmers would be organised into local societies, with milk collected through nearby procurement points before being channelled into processing and marketing systems.
The government believes this could address one of the major challenges facing small livestock farmers—limited access to organised markets.
“If milk produced in villages is linked to nearby collection systems, farmers will not have to look for buyers themselves,” Ram said.
Government partners with The Goat Trust
The announcement coincided with the signing of a non-financial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bihar’s Directorate of Animal Husbandry and The Goat Trust.
The programme aims to develop goat farming as a more organised and commercially viable rural enterprise through:
- Scientific goat-rearing practices
- Better animal health and management
- Farmer training and capacity building
- Breed improvement
- Nutrition management
- Disease prevention and vaccination
- Organised market linkages
- Technical support for productivity and profitability
Department Secretary Sirsat Kapil Ashok stressed that the initiative would require development of the entire goat-milk value chain—from animal health and breeding to nutrition, clean milk production, collection, processing and marketing.
A new opportunity for Bihar’s livestock economy
The proposed integration of goat milk into the Sudha network could create a new avenue for value addition in Bihar’s livestock sector.
If implemented successfully, the cooperative model could provide goat farmers with more predictable market access while giving Sudha an opportunity to develop a differentiated dairy segment.
The bigger challenge, however, will be building the infrastructure needed specifically for goat milk—including segregated collection, quality testing, chilling, processing, product development and consumer-market development.
For Bihar’s rural economy, the initiative represents a shift from viewing goats primarily as an asset for meat and animal sales towards recognising goat milk as a commercially organised dairy commodity.
Join Our “Dairy & Food Jobs Updates” WhatsApp group
Follow the Agri Jobs Updates channel on WhatsApp:
Disclaimer
I do my best to share reliable and well-researched insights but occasional errors or omissions may slip through. Please view all content as informational.
Stay informed on all the latest news updates
All Agriculture Books Free Download
All Dairy Technology Books Free Download
All Agricultural Engineering Books Free download
All Horticulture Books Free Download
All Fisheries Science Books Free Download
For Daily Update follow us at:
Facebook Telegram Whatsapp Instagram YouTube
The contents are provided free for noncommercial purpose such as teaching, training, research, extension and self learning.
If you are facing any Problem than fill form Contact Us
If you want share any article related Agriculture with us than send at info@agrimoon.com with your contact detail.
