It may be unheard of for an energy company, but Oil India Ltd. (OIL) plans to tie-up with the Assam government to start a co-operative dairy business along the lines of Gujarat’s successful ‘Amul’ model.
The project named ‘Kamdhenu’ envisages setting up of a milk production facility in Upper Assam to establish the dairy business in 3-5 years, OIL said here on Tuesday.
“Assam is a milk-deficient state. Availability of good milk is a big issue here. So, as part of our corporate social responsibility, we have decided to join hands with the state government to start a co-operative dairy business here,” OIL Chairman and Managing Director Sunil Kumar Srivastava told reporters. The model and OIL’s role are being studied to see how the company can support it.
“We are an oil company and milk production is not our business. We will tie-up with the government and see how we can implement this plan,” Mr. Srivastava said.
The company was assessing options such as giving cows to farmers in villages, setting up collection centres, and establishing a distribution network, he said.
“If the study suggests, we will set up a big milk production centre in Upper Assam.
“We already have a successful model ‘Amul’ in Gujarat. We are just trying to implement the same here,” he said.
The co-operative might supply milk to the entire North East in future, he said. OIL has started the ground work for the project, and has initiated talks with the Assam government.
