Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], October 29 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Gujarat on October 30 and 31, 2026. During his visit, on October 30, he will inaugurate three significant projects worth a total of Rs 407.56 crore from Bhildi in Banaskantha district.
According to an official release from the Gujarat Chief Minister's Office (CMO), these projects include the 'Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Centre (BBBRC)' in Bhildi, built at a cost of Rs 324.77 crore, a French Fries processing plant at Sanadar in the Vav-Tharad district, built at a cost of Rs 51.65 crore; and an 'Automated Storage and Retrieval System' (ASRS) in Palanpur, built at a cost of Rs 31.14 crore (both to be inaugurated virtually).
The ASRS facilitates the efficient handling of Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) milk through a high-speed, fully automated and traceable warehousing logistics system. PM Modi will virtually lay the foundation stones for two new Banas Dairy Bio-CNG plants in Tharad and Radhanpur.
Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat; Shankarbhai Chaudhary, Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly and Chairman of Banas Dairy; and Harsh Sanghavi, Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, will be present at the event.
Ministers of the Gujarat Government, Jitubhai Vaghani and Rushikesh Patel, along with Kamleshbhai Patel, Pravin Mali and Swaroopji Thakor, as well as Members of Parliament, Members of the Legislative Assembly, and various government officials, will also attend the event.
Representatives from the dairy cooperative sector will include Meenesh Shah, Chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB); the Chairman and Managing Director of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF); the Chairmen and Managing Directors of various affiliated milk unions in Gujarat; and Sangram Chaudhary, Managing Director of Banas Dairy. Milk producers from Banaskantha district will also be present.
As per a release, Banas Dairy has established the BBBRC across 127 acres in Bhildi, Banaskantha. The facility serves as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for animal breeding. Under the Central Government’s Rashtriya Gokul Mission, Rs 38.83 crore has been sanctioned for the centre, including Rs 2 crore for donor animals.
The centre receives technical support from the NDDB. The project has been approved under the Government of India’s Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) scheme and is financially supported by NABARD. It aims to transform India’s animal breeding sector through genetic excellence and innovation.
Banas Dairy has also established a modern storage facility in Palanpur, Banaskantha district, known as the Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS). This fully automated system is designed for the storage and dispatch of UHT products. Steel racks spanning nine levels have been constructed to store dairy products, providing a capacity of 11,000 pallets.
Developed in-house by Banas Dairy, the facility has resulted in cost savings, with the additional revenue benefiting the 4.18 lakh milk producers associated with the dairy. This model can also be used to store other dairy products.
Banas Dairy has developed a French fries processing plant at Sanadar in Deodar taluka, near the Vav-Tharad district, at a cost of Rs 51.65 crore. The work to increase the plant's French fries production capacity from 2 tonnes to 5 tonnes per hour began in April 2026.
The Dairy has now established a fully integrated production chain, spanning the development of plantlets in test tubes, the cultivation of seed crops in fields, the storage of potatoes in cold storage facilities and, finally, the delivery of French fries to consumers. Currently, no other cooperative organisation or agency in India has such a fully integrated system, a release said.
The Prime Minister will inaugurate the BBBRC and virtually inaugurate the ASRS and the French fries processing plant on October 30.
Foundation Stone Laying for New Bio-CNG Plants at Tharad and Radhanpur
Banas Dairy has long been involved in processing cattle dung, often considered farm waste, to produce vehicle fuel (Bio-CNG) and organic fertiliser. This initiative also provides a regular source of income for animal husbandry farmers.
Banas Dairy already operates four plants that process cow dung to produce Bio-CNG and organic fertiliser, and two new plants are now set to be added. One plant in Tharad will have a processing capacity of 75 metric tonnes of cow dung, while the other in Radhanpur will have a capacity of 100 metric tonnes. The Prime Minister will virtually lay the foundation stones for both plants from Bhildi in Banaskantha on October 30. These facilities will not only increase the production of clean energy and organic fertiliser but also generate additional income for animal husbandry farmers.
These innovative projects across Banaskantha demonstrate that modern agriculture and animal husbandry are not merely about increasing livestock numbers but also about adopting smart and scientific approaches. By embracing modern technology, preserving the environment and upholding cooperative values, farmers can secure a dignified livelihood, a release added. (ANI)
PM Modi to inaugurate 3 Banas Dairy projects worth Rs 407.56 cr; lay foundation stone for project on October 30
