Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday, 30 October 2026, announced a series of measures to strengthen the state's dairy sector, including a target of achieving 10 lakh litres of daily milk production, direct subsidies for dairy farmers, and the establishment of mega processing plants across the state. The announcement underscores Assam's push to close its gap with the national average on per capita milk availability.

Key Targets and Initiatives

The state government has set a daily milk production target of 10 lakh litres, a significant step up from current output levels. To drive farmer participation, the government is extending direct milk subsidies to dairy farmers, aimed at bolstering incomes and encouraging greater involvement in dairy activities.

Notably, the Sonitpur district has seen the commissioning of a new milk processing plant with a capacity of 20,000 litres per day, adding to the state's expanding processing infrastructure. Plans are also underway to establish mega dairy processing plants across Assam to strengthen milk handling, processing, and distribution at scale.

Why Assam's Dairy Sector Needs a Push

Assam's per capita milk availability currently falls below the national average, according to information shared by Chief Minister Sarma. This gap has long constrained both rural incomes and nutritional outcomes in the state. Analysts note that strengthening collection, processing, and distribution networks will be critical to translating production targets into real household-level impact.

This comes amid a broader national effort to double farmers' incomes, with dairy repeatedly identified as a high-potential sector for rural employment generation. Assam's push mirrors similar initiatives in states like Gujarat and Rajasthan, which have used cooperative and infrastructure-led models to significantly scale milk output.

What Sarma Said

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Chief Minister Sarma said a stronger dairy sector would 'improve nutrition, secure farmers' livelihoods and make the rural economy more resilient.' He described the initiatives as part of the state's vision for a self-reliant Assam, linking dairy development to wider goals of rural economic resilience and nutritional security.

Expected Impact and Next Steps

The government's focus on subsidies and processing infrastructure is designed to encourage scale-up in dairy farming while improving market access for producers. A sustained expansion in milk production could also generate significant rural employment and provide supplementary income to farming households across the state.

Strengthening the entire value chain — from farm-level collection to urban distribution — will be central to achieving the 10 lakh litres per day target. The commissioning of more mega plants and the extension of subsidy coverage will be closely watched as indicators of programme momentum.