Mumbai: Iconic dairy brands Aarey and Mahanand are set to be relaunched soon as part of a major push to strengthen the organised dairy sector, with National Dairy Development Board Chairman Meenesh Shah informing Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis during a high-level meeting.
The initiative comes amid concerns that only 40% of milk in the state is processed through the organised sector, while 60% flows through the unorganised segment where adulteration is more prevalent. To tackle this, NDDB has developed a rapid test strip capable of detecting urea and other adulterants, expected to be fully operational within six months, while the CM has also proposed an AI-based system in collaboration with IITs to strengthen monitoring.
As part of a nationwide strategy, NDDB aims to connect 75,000 new villages to the cooperative network to improve farmer incomes and ensure better quality control. Meanwhile, revival of Mahanand Dairy is already 78% complete, supported by multiple infrastructure projects including a new 3 lakh litres per day greenfield dairy, signature parlours and modern facilities in Goregaon, a compressed biogas project in Aarey Colony, and new plants in Udgir and Butibori (Nagpur).
Milk procurement is also being expanded across 19 districts in Vidarbha and Marathwada, alongside the establishment of a state-of-the-art laboratory for testing milk and dairy products, signalling a comprehensive effort to modernise Maharashtra’s dairy ecosystem and curb adulteration. (The Times of India)
Source: Dairynews7x7 24 April, 2026 Read full story here
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