Bhopal, Jan 8 (IANS): The Madhya Pradesh government will invest Rs 1,500 crore to double the size of milk production and to increase farmers' income in the next five years, officials said.

A proposal in this regard has been approved by the Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Tuesday.

Briefing about the Cabinet's decision, senior Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said the Madhya Pradesh State Co-operative Dairy Federation (MPSCDF) will tie up with the National Co-operative Dairy Federation (NCDF).

He said the tie-up with NCDF will not only increase the production of milk but also pave the way for increasing the income of farmers in the state.

The Minister said farmers will be encouraged to milk production by adopting good quality cows.

The farmers will be provided with all facilities to transport their milk and other products to the market, Vijayvargiya added.

They will also be encouraged to use organic manure for farming, he said.

He added the state government is also starting an academic degree course in dairy technology at Vikram University in Ujjain.

In future, this course will also be provided in other universities as per the National Education Policy, 2020, the Minister said.

The skilled youths trained in dairy technology will take Madhya Pradesh to the top position in milk production with their strong will and hard work using dairy technology, he added.

"Decision is part of future planning to double milk production as well as to increase the farmers' income in the next five years in the state. At present, we have nearly 6,000 dairy co-operative committees in the state, which will be increased up to 9,000 in the next five years," Vijayvargiya said.

Meanwhile, he also said the government has decided to make the state's Sanchi milk expand further in the national market with the help of NCDF.

"Once the MoU is signed between MPSCDF and NCDF, the government will set up dairy plants in villages. Transportation and branding will be done through private parties," the Minister added.

Earlier in September last year, the Madhya Pradesh government gave its consent to hand over the next five years of operations of the State Cooperative Dairy Federation and the milk unions affiliated with it to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).

The Opposition Congress, however, resisted the move, claiming that it was Gujarat co-operative dairy Amul's "backdoor" attempts to take over Madhya Pradesh's state-run milk brand Sanchi.

The state government, however, maintained that the decision has been taken for the expansion of Sanchi's production and to make it a national brand.

Madhya Pradesh ranks third in the country with a nine per cent share in milk production.

The average milk production in the state is 673 grams, while the national average is 471 grams.