Guwahati, Apr 12 (PTI) The West Assam Milk Producers’ Co-operative Union Ltd (WAMUL), which operates the popular brand Purabi Dairy, is set for a major expansion with the addition of four large milk processing units, along with a number of smaller ones, over the next few years, its top officials said on Saturday.

It currently has a state-of-the-art processing unit in Guwahati, the largest such facility in the North East, and a smaller one in Dhemaji.

“Currently, we have a large plant here with milk processing capacity of 1.5 lakh litres per day (LLPD). We have recently taken over a small unit in Dhemaji,” WAMUL managing director Sameer Kumar Parida said.

“We are increasing the number of processing units so that we can expand the reach of our products as well,” he added.

The third unit, a defunct facility which WAMUL has taken over in Silchar, will be operational by September or October, taking our total units to three,” he said.

Parida said four large processing units in Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Dhemaji and Silchar are planned, which will be operational within next two to three years.

Satya Brata Bose, managing director of North East Dairy and Foods Ltd (NEDFL), said the commissioning of the new units will enable Purabi Dairy to market its products to other states also.

The NEDFL is a joint venture between National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and government of Assam, which works with WAMUL.

“Currently, Purabi products are available in peripheral areas of neighbouring states like Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. With the new units coming up, we will be able to send our products to a wider market,” Bose added.

Parida said WAMUL reported a growth of 25 per cent in 2024-25, with turnover crossing Rs 320 crore, and it has set a target of surpassing Rs 450 crore in 2025-26.

The recent agreement between NDDB and WAMUL to expand the milk processing capacity of the Guwahati plant from 1.5 LLPD to 3 LLPD will boost its expansion and presence, he added.

He further said WAMUL has achieved a significant milestone with its state-of-the-art milk processing plant here receiving the ISO 22000: 2018 certification, while its cattle-feed plant at Changsari has been awarded the ISO 9001 certification.

ISO 22000:2018 is an international standard for food safety management systems (FSMS), ensuring organisations in the food chain can consistently provide safe products and services by identifying, assessing and controlling food safety hazards.

ISO 9001 is an international standard for quality management systems (QMS) published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Parida added that the cooperative has also expanded its product portfolio by introducing new items, like ice creams, with more newer offerings to be made to customers over time.

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