Leading FMCG company BL Agro inaugurated a high-tech cattle breeding and dairy centre in Bareilly at an initial investment of Rs 1,000 crore with an aim to transform local agriculture.
The state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence for Cow Breeding and Dairy Technology, a part of the subsidiary firm BL Khamdhenu, was inaugurated by Union Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan, the company said in a statement.
The project, “Satat Kamdhenu”, with a focus on circular practices in dairy sector was unveiled on the occasion.
The “BL Kamdhenu Farms” will initially house 5,000 indigenous cows, eventually doubling to 10,000, as part of the company’s Satat Kamdhenu initiative.
“The initial investment in the project is around Rs 1,000 crore and the whole project once it is up to full capacity will cost Rs 3,000 crore,” BL Agro Managing Director Ashish Khandelwal said.
The key focus has been to create a sustainable and a circular economy that minimises agri-waste and boosts the local community, he added.
The centre integrates advanced breeding technologies, including in-vitro fertilisation with feed production and bio-methanation facilities for compressed biogas, creating what the company describes as a circular economy model.
BL Agro also unveiled its new subsidiary Leads Agri Genetics to focus on enhancing animal genetics and plant breeding, including development of lower methane-emitting cattle breeds.
The company plans to sell high-yielding cows to local farmers, provide quality feed, and buy back milk, while also sourcing farm waste for its proposed compressed biogas plant.
“In the initial stage, BL Kamdhenu will benefit 5,000 local farmers in the next 2-3 years and as it scales up its production to full capacity, it would benefit 1-2 lakh farmers,” BL Agro CEO Navneet Ravikar said.
