ITANAGAR, OCT 26:

The Department of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary and Dairy Development (AHV&DD), Arunachal Pradesh, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on Monday to strengthen market access for local dairy farmers, alongside the flag-off of packaged milk supplies at the Civil Secretariat here.

The initiative aims to establish a structured institutional market for locally produced milk and promote an organised and sustainable dairy sector in the state.

AHV&DD Minister Gabriel D. Wangsu, who attended the programme as chief guest, said developing the dairy sector was important for increasing farmers’ income, generating rural employment and strengthening economic self-reliance. He said institutional partnerships could connect local producers with assured markets, encourage dairy entrepreneurship and make dairy farming a more viable livelihood.

Invoking the motto “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”, Wangsu highlighted the contributions of security personnel and farmers to national security and economic development.

AHV&DD Secretary Y.V.V.J. Rajasekhar outlined the MoU’s objectives and the department’s efforts to strengthen the dairy value chain, covering milk production, collection, processing, packaging and marketing. He said the partnership would link local dairy production with institutional demand and facilitate regular supplies of packaged milk to ITBP personnel.

The initiative is expected to improve market confidence among dairy farmers, encourage organised dairy farming and support the expansion of milk production and related economic activities in the state.

The department said it would focus on maintaining quality and food safety standards and ensuring reliable, timely delivery as the partnership progresses.

Senior state government officials and ITBP representatives, including DIG (Frontier), Itanagar, Abu Sufian, attended the programme.