Amul to acquire land in Rajkot at Rs 90 crore for milk processing plant

THE STATE government has offered 114 acres of land to the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) in Gadhka and Dhandhani villages on the outskirts of Rajkot city for around Rs 90 crore for the latter’s proposed milk processing plant for Saurashtra region.

GCMMF, the dairy giant which markets dairy and other products under brand name Amul, said it considers the offer fair and will complete the formality of acquiring the land in a few weeks.

“We think this is a fair offer and we will accept it. The actual amount of land may vary from these figures but cumulatively, the land will cost us between Rs 85 crore and Rs 90 crore,” GCMMF vice-chairman Valamji Humbal told The Indian Express Thursday.

He said Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel conveyed the approval of the state cabinet to the land offer on Thursday.

“Once the state government sends a formal communication to us in this regard, we shall deposit the amount in the government treasury and take possession of the land within a few weeks. Our plan is to lay the foundation stone of the Rs 500 crore milk processing plant before the end of this calendar year,” Humbal added.

The proposed plant will be the biggest in Saurashtra region and is aimed at meeting the milk processing requirement of district cooperative milk producers unions in Saurashtra and Kutch which are among 18 members of the GCMMF.