Bengal may launch own edible oil brand to contain prices, says Dilip Ghosh
West Bengal may launch its own edible oil brand to contain prices, strengthen cooperatives and improve market access for oilseed farmers. The initiative, involving NDDB and IIT Kharagpur, will support oilseed value chains, while NDDB also plans a modern dairy facility in Paschim Medinipur.
Bengal may launch its own edible oil brand to contain prices and strengthen the state’s cooperative sector, state Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Dilip Ghosh said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a programme marking the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between IIT Kharagpur and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Ghosh said the proposed initiative could also provide a stronger market linkage for oilseed farmers in the state.
“The cooperative movement was badly affected by corruption up to the grassroots level. Huge funds of cooperatives were looted and the rural economy suffered durning the tenure of erstwhile government’s tenure. Farmers and people in rural areas did not get the benefits they were supposed to receive,” Ghosh said, referring to the functioning of successive governments in the state.
He said West Bengal had a premier institution such as IIT Kharagpur, but the previous Trinamul Congress government had not adequately utilised its expertise. According to him, greater collaboration with the institute in areas such as oilseed production, technology and marketing could have generated substantial benefits for farmers.
The minister said the proposed edible oil initiative would be linked to the government’s broader effort to revive and strengthen state-run cooperatives. The move comes at a time when NDDB has renewed its focus on the edible oil sector and oilseed cooperatives. NDDB has said that its edible oil brand Dhara was launched under Operation Golden Flow as a market intervention aimed at benefiting both farmers and consumers.
Co-operation Minister Ashok Kirtania was also present at the programme, where the launch of an edible-oil value-chain initiative in the eastern region was discussed.
Meenesh C. Shah, the Chairman and Managing Director of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) said that the Board has also been working to revive the oilseed cooperative model in Bengal and eastern regions.
Meanwhile, a major dairy infrastructure project is proposed at Debra in Paschim Medinipur, where NDDB plans to establish a modern milk processing and packaging facility on nearly five acres of land. The project is expected to cover key stages of the dairy value chain, including milk collection, chilling, processing, packaging and marketing.
Officials said the proposed facility could improve market access for dairy farmers, create employment opportunities in rural areas and facilitate greater value addition in dairy products. It is also expected to strengthen the region’s milk supply chain and contribute to the rural economy.
The project would be NDDB’s first facility of this nature in West Bengal in nearly 15 years, according to officials.
NDDB has historically worked through cooperative structures to strengthen farmer incomes and improve market access. Its Operation Flood programme built village-level dairy cooperatives and sought to reduce price variations while ensuring better market linkages for milk producers.
Dhara was introduced under Operation Golden Flow and that Mother Dairy, an NDDB subsidiary, continues to market edible oils under the brand.
The proposed initiatives in Bengal are therefore expected to bring together agricultural marketing, oilseed production, dairy infrastructure and cooperative development, with the stated objective of creating stronger links between farmers, processing facilities and consumers.
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Source : The Statesman
