Union Minister announces Centre of Excellence for Sikkim’s indigenous Siri cattle breed

ISABELLA GURUNG

GANGTOK,: With the aim of supporting the conservation, development and scientific improvement of indigenous Siri cattle found in the region, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh has proposed the establishment of a Centre of Excellence dedicated to Siri cattle (local cows) in Sikkim, provided the State government identifies and provides suitable land for the establishment of the centre.

The proposal was announced at an event organised at Sikkim Milk Union (SMU) at Lumsey here on Tuesday.

Organised by the Sikkim Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited, the event was attended by Ministers Puran Kumar Gurung and GT Dhungel, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) chairman Dr Meenesh C. Shah, dignitaries from the Centre, Sikkim Milk Union (SMU) chairman Yam Kumar Sharma, managing director TB Ghatani and other invited guests.

The Union Minister is on an official three-day visit to Sikkim from November 1 to 3.

“On Monday, I visited Mangan district and, while interacting with a local cow owner, I learnt that it was difficult for her to sustain her livelihood when her cow produced only three litres of milk. Right there, I decided that wherever the State government provides land in Sikkim, we will approve and establish a Centre of Excellence,” the Union Minister said.

He informed that through the Centre of Excellence and IVF technology, cows could be impregnated and the resulting calves provided to farmers.

“The biggest feature of IVF technology is that if a calf is born through it, its milk production capacity increases three times,” he added.

Singh urged the NDDB chairman to extend full cooperation to the Sikkim government. Citing the example of Mizoram, he instructed the NDDB to modernise Mangan's dairy processing plant by investing in it using the same model implemented in Mizoram.

“The Central government is fully prepared to cooperate with the Northeast. The goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to make the Northeast self-reliant and empowered. Hence, the Prime Minister has instructed all Union Ministers to visit every Northeastern State, understand their problems and extend cooperation for their benefit. Whatever proposals come to us, we will view them positively and approve them. By 2029-30, our target is to increase milk production in Sikkim to 3.6 lakh litres, and we are moving forward with that goal,” stated Singh.

He informed that milk collection currently stands at 61,000 litres per day, with the first target being to double the collection to 1.2 lakh litres per day.

The Union Minister inaugurated the microbiology laboratory at Lumsey in Gangtok, virtually inaugurated the microbiology laboratory at Karfectar in Jorethang and launched the churpi traceability initiative. He also launched Fodder Plus FPO products and distributed registration certificates to newly established dairy cooperative societies.

The Union Minister informed that he had met Chief Minister Prem Singn Tamang-Golay on Tuesday morning and appreciated the State government's initiative of providing incentives of Rs 8 per litre to milk producers associated with cooperative societies.

He urged the State government to increase the number of cooperative societies and bring the milk sector from the unorganised to the organised sector through cooperatives. This, he said, would increase milk collection and processing capacity while ensuring better-quality products for consumers in the market.

“The most important thing is that the more you strengthen cooperative societies and the more new cooperative societies are formed, the more your milk collection will increase. And if your milk collection increases, your processing capacity will also expand. When processing expands, you will be able to fulfil market demand and become self-sufficient. We distributed five certificates today. Next time, when you establish 500 new cooperative societies, invite us and we will come and distribute certificates to all 500 cooperative societies,” said the Union Minister.

Highlighting the role of the NDDB and the new cooperatives, he informed that the NDDB chairman had been collaborating with the Sikkim government for the past 10 to 15 years.

He also briefed the gathering on the national status of the dairy sector and the Prime Minister's initiatives, stating that the issue of milk production was not just Sikkim's concern but a challenge faced by the entire country.

“Today, in terms of milk production, India stands at number one in the world and number two in fish production, due to the Prime Minister's initiatives,” he said.

Highlighting one of the biggest challenges in the milk sector, the Union Minister said that milk adulteration occurred due to milk collection from the unorganised sector.

SMU managing director TB Ghatani gave a presentation on the Sikkim Milk Union, highlighting the growth in milk production, the development of cooperative societies, progress in cattle rearing and milk collection, among other aspects.

“Over the past decade, milk production in Sikkim has grown by 79%. Earlier, production stood at 1.37 lakh litres per day, which has now increased to 2.45 lakh litres per day. The per capita availability of milk per person per day has also made remarkable progress. Although it is currently slightly lower than the national average, the progress made in this regard is quite good,” said Ghatani.

He informed that there had been significant progress in the formation of cooperative societies in Sikkim. While there were only 389 cooperative societies in 2014-15, the number increased to 733 in 2025-26, representing a growth of about 88%.

The number of cattle rearers associated with cooperative societies has also increased significantly, from 10,000 to 16,000. Milk collection has risen from 17,000 litres per day to 61,000 litres per day, marking a growth of 259%, informed the SMU managing director.

Ghatani said this remarkable increase reflected the extensive work undertaken by the State government in this direction.

The volume of milk products delivered by SMU to consumers has also increased from 28,000 litres to 56,000 litres, registering a 100% growth over the past few years. Milk chilling and processing plants play an important role in the collection and processing of milk. Sikkim has established a milk chilling capacity of 79,000 litres per day.

The milk processing capacity currently stands at 90,000 litres per day. The volume of processed products sold by SMU in the market has also increased significantly alongside the expansion of processing capacity. Curd and yoghurt production, in particular, has registered a growth of 148%, reflecting a sharp rise in demand, said Ghatani.