LEH : The Ladakh administration is stepping up efforts to strengthen the region’s organised dairy sector by improving farmer-to-market linkages, milk collection networks, cattle breeding, fodder availability and processing infrastructure.
Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra, during a review of the Ladakh Oma Dairy Plant in Leh, directed officials to adopt a comprehensive approach to strengthening the dairy ecosystem and improving returns to rural milk producers.
Kundra reviewed the functioning of the plant’s milk, apricot and sea buckthorn processing facilities and sought details on processing capacity and utilisation, availability of local raw materials, quality standards, farmer linkages, payment mechanisms and the benefits reaching local producers.
Focus on organised milk procurement
The administration has placed particular emphasis on connecting more villages and primary dairy societies with processing facilities. Kundra directed officials to strengthen linkages between farmers and processing units so that producers gain better access to organised markets and receive more remunerative returns.
Officials were also asked to identify and strengthen primary dairy societies and examine the feasibility of deploying refrigerated vehicles for efficient milk collection and transportation from remote villages.
The Chief Secretary stressed the importance of improving the productivity and quality of milk through better cattle breeds, scientific feeding, fodder development, animal induction and improved breeding practices.
Dairy expansion in Nubra and Kargil
The administration also reviewed proposals for expanding dairy facilities in Nubra and examined the participation of women in dairy activities, along with issues related to organic certification, manure management and future expansion.
The Kargil dairy plant was also reviewed, with discussions focusing on improving farmer connectivity, strengthening milk collection and enhancing processing operations.
Kundra called for successful experiences of farmers in remote areas to be documented through video-based stories. Such local success stories, he said, could help demonstrate the economic potential of organised dairy farming and encourage greater participation.
Building local value chains
Beyond dairy, the administration reviewed opportunities to increase the value of locally produced apricots and sea buckthorn through processing into juice and other value-added products.
Kundra emphasised greater coordination among cooperatives, research institutions and government departments to develop local value chains and ensure that a larger share of the economic value generated from Ladakh’s agricultural and horticultural resources reaches local producers.
The broader strategy links milk production, collection, processing, value addition and market access, indicating an effort to move Ladakh’s dairy sector beyond isolated production towards a more integrated value chain.
Waste management and rural infrastructure also reviewed
The dairy review formed part of a wider assessment of development and infrastructure projects in Leh, with the administration examining their functioning, employment potential and contribution to local livelihoods.
Kundra subsequently inaugurated a 3-tonne-per-day Tri-Fusion Gasifier Incinerator at the Solid Waste Resource Management Centre in Choglamsar. Officials demonstrated the system and briefed him on its controlled thermal treatment process, including waste reduction to ash and management of gases and vapours.
He sought details on emissions management, operational safety, residual ash and its potential utilisation. He also reviewed plans for managing legacy waste and examined the possibility of extending similar technology to other areas, including Khaltsi and Nubra.
The Chief Secretary later inspected the Rural Development Department Guest House, where construction and finishing works are nearing completion. The facility is expected to be ready for handover by September 15.
He also visited the nearby National Rural Livelihoods Mission building to review its infrastructure, functioning and ongoing activities.
The visits highlighted three areas central to Ladakh’s rural development agenda: strengthening agricultural and dairy value chains, improving scientific waste management and upgrading rural infrastructure.
Kundra was accompanied by senior officers from the Cooperative, Sheep Husbandry, PWD, Rural Development, Housing and Urban Development departments, along with officials from the Leh administration and other concerned agencies.
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