By Suresh Kumar Yadav, Kathmandu, June 9: Ministry of the Agriculture and Livestock is preparing the Dairy Development Policy 2077. The draft of the policy has been tabled in the cabinet.

Execute Director of National Dairy Development Board Rajendra Prasad Yadav said that the policy will guide the dairy sector. He said that it will soon be implemented.

According to the ministry, objectives of the policy are industrialization, modernization and commercialization of the dairy sector in the span of 25 years. It will be developed in cooperation and partnership of the public, private and cooperative sector.

The draft recommends for the improvement in the National Livestock Resource Management and Promotion Center.

The policy aims at increasing per capita milk availability to 91 kg in 5 years from existing 76 kg, 118 kg in 10 years, 160 kg in 20 years, 175 in 22 years and generation of per family net profit of milk producing farmer of Rs. 40 thousand a month in 5 years and Rs. 130 thousand in 22 years. It will also create some 600 thousand direct and full employment.

The draft also recommends the mechanism of coordination among local, provincial and central government.

The policy mentions that as per demand in the foreign market, Nepali dairy products including ghee have been exported informally, but developing the export into formal business is still lacking.

As the Dairy Development Policy 2064 was based on the 20-Year Agriculture Strategic Plan, National Agriculture Policy 2061, National Dairy Marketing Management and Strategy 2001, Commercial Agriculture Promotion Policy 2063, the former policy could not meet the need and expectation of the present changed context, the policy paper argues.