Patna: The Bihar State Milk Co-operative Federation, known as COMFED, has expanded its milk collection and processing capacity sharply over the past two decades, reporting record volumes and positioning its flagship Sudha brand for a stronger presence in national and international markets.
According to figures released by the Dairy and Fisheries Department, COMFED collected an average of 2.252m kilograms of milk per day in the 2024-25 financial year. Its daily processing capacity has risen to 4.855m kilograms, nearly double the amount it currently procures.
The federation also recorded its highest-ever single-day collection of 3.067m kilograms of milk, underscoring the scale of its operations and the growth of the state’s dairy sector.
Data from 2004-05 show that COMFED was collecting just 488,000 kilograms of milk per day. By 2024-25, that figure had increased to 2.252m kilograms per day – almost a fivefold rise over 20 years. Officials said this expansion reflects a compound annual growth rate of around 8.5%.
Processing capacity has grown even faster. In 2006-07, Bihar’s milk processing capacity stood at 630,000 litres per day. By 2023-24, it had reached 4.855m litres per day, representing nearly an eightfold increase. The current infrastructure allows COMFED to process almost twice the volume of milk it collects on an average day.
The federation, which operates under the Dairy and Fisheries Department of the Bihar government, has said it is seeking to strengthen the market presence of its Sudha brand beyond the state and across international markets. Officials argue that the expansion of procurement and processing facilities has contributed to higher and more stable incomes for livestock farmers across Bihar.
The growth in capacity is being presented as part of a broader push to modernise dairy infrastructure in the state and integrate more rural producers into organised supply chains, as demand for milk and dairy products continues to rise.
