Dairy revolution in Ladakh: Amit Shah made a big announcement, a plant with a capacity of 50,000 liters per day will be set up in Leh.

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday (01 May 2026) presented a big roadmap to transform the dairy sector in Ladakh. He announced the setting up of a modern plant in Leh that can process 50,000 liters of milk per day.

About Rs 70 crore will be spent on this project. In this sequence, Home Minister Amit Shah also clearly stated that this initiative will stabilize the income of the farmers of Leh and Kargil and create a strong dairy infrastructure in the high hilly areas.

Gift to Ladakh on Buddha Purnima   

Let us tell you that while wishing Buddha Purnima, Amit Shah said that the government is strengthening the infrastructure of Ladakh so that the livelihood of the people is maintained. Animal breeding centers will be built in Leh and Kargil at a cost of about Rs 4 crore. Breeds that can adapt to the cold desert climate and yield more milk will be brought to these centres.

Livestock will triple in Leh in next 10 years   

India’s Home Minister Amit Shah said that about 500 animals of better breed will be brought every year. The target is to triple the total number of animals in Ladakh in the next ten years. He admitted that the difficult climate here is a big challenge. Research is necessary to adapt new animals to low oxygen and severe cold. Local dairy farmers will directly benefit from the increase in the number of animals.

The scope of cooperative societies will increase   

According to the information received, after joining with the National Dairy Development Board, Ladakh Milk Federation has reached 28 villages. Shah said that to provide stable income to cattle owners, this network will have to be taken to 85% of the villages where dairying is possible. Currently 6,000 liters of milk is being purchased daily.

This figure is expected to reach 21,000 liters as processing capacity and institutional collaboration increases. The Home Minister also informed that agreements have been made with the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. About 18,000 soldiers of these two are deployed in Ladakh. These will become reliable markets for dairy products. In view of the increasing demand, the capacity of the plant will be increased from 5 TLPD to 10 TLPD.

A new plant worth Rs 25 crore will be set up in Kargil. 

Home Minister Amit Shah announced to lay the foundation stone of a dairy plant with 10,000 liters per day capacity in Kargil. Rs 25 crore will be spent on this. This will strengthen the dairy chain in higher areas also. He praised the role of women in dairy cooperatives. The existing milk union is making 500 kg of paneer and 1,000 kg of curd daily. Modernization will speed up the work.

Technology will improve quality   

Mobile milk testing unit and digital automated milk collection system will be started for transparency and quality checking in the entire area. Shah told the Ladakh administration that the potential of every village should be fully utilised.

Besides, cooperative model should also be promoted in areas like honey production and organic farming. With this scheme, farmers of Ladakh will get a new market and milk production will become self-reliant. This dairy revolution in the cold desert will increase both employment and nutrition.