It will produce 10,000 tonnes of feed per month and feed 75,000 cows per day.
“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.”
India’s population is largely vegetarian and dairy is a primary source of protein. Milk-based paneer, ghee, yogurt and sauces are all staples of daily life, making the country both the largest consumer and the largest producer of dairy in the world, Cargill said.
“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 Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal, deputy chief minister of Punjab. “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.”
In 2008, Cargill’s animal nutrition business began working with dairy farmers in the country to optimize farm management techniques and boost milk productivity, the company said. Every week, Cargill sent a team of veterinarians and sales personnel to share its expertise, conduct farmer group meetings and raise awareness of ways to increase productivity. Working with dairy operations of all sizes – from five cows to 100 – Cargill teams educated nearly 30,000 farmers on nutrition and farm management best practices in 2014 alone, the company said.
“We are transforming Cargill to be more agile, with capabilities essential to our customers’ success,” David MacLennan, chairman and chief executive officer, and Marcel Smits, executive vice-president and chief financial officer, wrote in “Envisioning Tomorrow,” the company’s 2016 annual report issued Aug. 16. “We are leading the advance toward a more sustainable food system that nourishes people and protects the planet.”
