Cargill
 
BATHINDA, India – Cargill has opened a new feed plant in Bathinda, Punjab, in an effort to help grow and support the country’s growing dairy industry. As a largely vegetarian nation, India is the largest consumer and producer of dairy in the world. The new plant will cost Rs 88 crore ($1.3 million).

 

The new facility will provide feed to dairy farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and will produce 10,000 metric tons of feed per month — which will feed 75,000 cows daily.

“We believe this new dairy feed plant will provide quality feed and introduce latest know-how which will help our dairy farmers earn better yields and contribute to the progress of Punjab,” said Honorable Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal. “We expect Cargill to share their global experience with the region’s farmers which will help put Punjab on a global map with other leading model dairy regions across the world.”

A team of nearly 400 employees and contractors clocked more than 700,000 working hours in 14 months to complete the project.

Cargill Animal Nutrition began working with dairy farmers in India in 2008 to help develop more productive farm management techniques and to boost milk production. In 2014, Cargill veterinarians worked with dairy operations of all sizes to educate nearly 30,000 farmers on nutrition and farm management practices.

“We have been catering to the Punjab dairy farmer for more than 10 years now,” said Achyuth Iyengar, managing director for Cargill’s complete feed and nutrition business in India. “The continued trust of the dairy farmers in our feed products has encouraged us to build and invest in this new facility. Through this plant, we will be able to expand our supply of high-quality, safe and nutritious feed and services in the state of Punjab.”