Two Sudha Dairy attendants were caught red-handed while mixing water to milk in the wee hours of Sunday, confirming fears of unsafe milk being sold in Jharkhand even as the state gears up to launch

Mumbai The food processing industry, currently the fifth largest sector in India’s economy, is showing potential for massive expansion, particularly in the export market, a report by FICCI and Bain & Co says. Costs of processing and packaging food can be up to 40% lower in India, than parts of Europe, making it an attractive venue for investment. Several multinational players are bringing in new products to capitalise on the growing demand for packaged goods.

The report, which was launched at the “Food World India 2012 Convention,” pegged the packaged food industry at R1 lakh crore, the majority of which is accounted for by dairy and biscuits. Analysts predict growth rates for the packaged food sector anywhere from 9%-13% for the next 5-6 years.

Vadodara: The Amul model of co-operatives will travel from the land of Modi to Mamta’s bastion. The Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited (KDCMPUL), popularly known as Amul Dairy, is setting up a dairy plant in Kolkata with an investment of over Rs 100 crore.

Interestingly, in 2008 when Gujarat’s dairy union controlled by Congressmen had started the experiment to replicate the Amul model of co-operatives in West Bengal (WB) by collecting milk locally, there were apprehensions about the success of White Revolution in WB, which was then the red bastion.

Dr Verghese Kurien, the father of the “White Revolution”, died today after a brief illness. Kurien, 90, is survived by his wife and daughter.

Lenders are offering term loans to livestock owners in drought-affected Gujarat
ATMADIP RAY & SUTANUKA GHOSAL KOLKATA

Aimed at achieving 15 per cent growth in milk production in the district, the Department of Animal Husbandry has formulated a `71 lakh initiative for setting up dairy farms and milk shed development projects.

A Rs 27.03 lakh project has also been formulated to promote fodder crop cultivation, said Dairy Development Board deputy director V Unni. Financial assistance will be provided to those who are ready to set up farm units

Witnessing a stagnation in agriculture, Punjab has decided to focus on the dairy industry.

Phidde village in Ferozepur district is witnessing a small revolution of sorts in the field of dairy farming.

Elaborate arrangements have been made to monitor restaurants, hotels and other food businesses within the State and also the inflow of food items from outside the State during the festival season, Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar has said.

Special surveillance squads had already been deployed for the purpose in all districts. Checking had been made more stringent in the border check-posts of Amaravila in Thiruvananthapuram district, Aryankavu in Kollam district and Meenakshipuram and Walayar check-posts in Palakkad district, the Minister said on Sunday.