Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the new premises and potato processing unit of Banas Dairy in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district. On this occasion, small farmers of the country produce milk worth Rs 8.5 lakh crore every year, which is the highest in the world. Not only this, he said that the total cost of production of milk is higher than that of wheat and rice and small farmers are the biggest beneficiaries of the dairy sector. During the inauguration ceremony, PM Modi said, ‘Today India is the largest milk producer in the world. The livelihood of crores of farmers depends on milk. India produces milk worth Rs 8.5 lakh crore annually, which many people, including big economists, do not pay attention to.
The Prime Minister said, ‘The production of milk is an example of how decentralized the economy of the villages is. In comparison, the production of wheat and paddy is also less and the biggest benefit of this goes to the small farmers. “The decentralized economy system of villages is an example of this. In contrast, the yield of wheat and rice is also not equal to the milk production of Rs 8.5 lakh crore. And small farmers are the biggest beneficiaries of the dairy sector. Modi said the new dairy complex and potato processing plant of Banas Dairy is aimed at empowering local farmers and boosting the rural economy in the region.
The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the Banas Community Radio Station, expanded facilities for production of cheese products and whey powder at Palanpur and the organic fertilizer and biogas plant set up at Dama. Significantly, PM Narendra Modi has reached Gujarat for the second consecutive month on a three-day visit. The BJP is very active before the state assembly elections are due later this year. These visits of PM Narendra Modi are also being linked to the BJP’s election preparations. He will continue to tour his home state in the coming months.