The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and Bangalore-based NGO, Sustain Plus have joined forces to roll out a large-scale circular dairy programme that will install 10,000 biogas plants across 15 states in India including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

The circular dairy programme, unveiled at the ‘Workshop on Sustainability and Circularity in Dairy Sector’ at New Delhi — hosted by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) — aims to create climate-smart dairy villages and build scalable and sustainable farming practices across the country, stated an official release The programme was launched in the presence of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah.

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In the next four years, 10,000 biogas digesters installed across multiple states are expected to generate 3 lakh tonnes of organic slurry annually, improving soil health and reducing the need for chemical fertilisers. They will also produce more than 7 million cubic meters of biogas every year, providing clean cooking fuel to 10,000 rural households. In addition, the program will enable the production of nearly 60,000 tonnes of Phosphate Rich Organic Manure (PROM) each year, replacing an equivalent quantity of chemical phosphate fertilisers, further supporting affordable and sustainable farming practices.

The NDDB-Sustain Plus partnership will directly benefit dairy farmers across multiple states enabling them with better manure management, renewable energy adoption, and improved dairy infrastructure. By integrating biogas plants, solar-powered dairy operations, and efficient milk collection systems, the program will help reduce input costs, improve soil health for dairy farmers, provide clean cooking fuel to rural households, and create new income opportunities through organic fertiliser and carbon credits.

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Ganesh Neelam, Director, Sustain Plus stated, “Since 2021, our partnership with NDDB has demonstrated the potential of integrating circularity into the dairy value chain by strengthening and scaling the gobar economy. Our latest project with NDDB aims to empower dairy farmers, particularly women, by providing access to clean cooking fuel and nutrient-rich bio-slurry for soil enrichment. We have signed MoUs with over 26 milk unions across 15 states in India, with dairy cooperative network acting as a powerful platform for scale, this model can be replicated across states, making India’s dairy sector not just the world’s largest, but also among the most sustainable.” 

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Sustain Plus is a collaborative platform founded by Social Alpha, CInI and SELCO Foundation, dedicated to deploy sustainable innovations to improve rural livelihoods in India.