Facility is first of three planned kiosks under GMDA tie-up; move aligns with Assam government’s dairy expansion push
Guwahati, Nov 22: Northeast India’s largest dairy cooperative brand Purabi on Thursday opened a new milk booth near Nehru Park in Guwahati, the first outlet to come up under its partnership with the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA).
The kiosk aims to provide easy access to packaged milk and other dairy products for morning walkers, park visitors, students and residents in the central part of the city.
The booth was inaugurated by Assam Cooperation Minister Jogen Mohan in the presence of Cooperation Secretary Anant Lal Gyani, senior GMDA officials and representatives of Purabi.
Under the collaboration, GMDA has allotted three locations in the city for Purabi’s prefabricated milk booths, with two more to come up near Shradhanjali Kanan on RG Baruah Road and Atal Udyan in Adabari.
Mohan said the initiative would support both consumers and dairy farmers, noting that Purabi has been working to raise milk production and ensure safe, hygienic products in the organised sector.
He linked the new booths to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s Assam Dairy Development Plan, which envisions handling 10 lakh litres of milk per day through cooperative dairies.
A GMDA official said the authority viewed the tie-up as a way to improve citizen convenience at busy public spaces while promoting access to quality food products.
Purabi products are manufactured by West Assam Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union Ltd (WAMUL) and marketed by North East Dairy and Foods Limited (NEDFL), a joint venture of the Assam government and the National Dairy Development Board.
NEDFL has been expanding Purabi’s distribution network across the region through modern kiosks at locations such as the GMCH campus, ASTC-ISBT Khanapara, the entrance of Janata Bhawan and opposite the Assam State Zoo.
Satya Brata Bose, Managing Director of NEDFL, said the GMDA partnership would help bring branded dairy products closer to households in Guwahati and strengthen food security by making safe, nutritious options more readily available in high-footfall areas.
The prefabricated booths, procured by WAMUL under the World Bank-funded APART project, are fitted with visi-coolers, chest and deep freezers and insulated cold-chain facilities to maintain product freshness through the day.
Purabi’s franchise-based kiosk model is also being positioned as a source of livelihood for local entrepreneurs while supporting the formalisation of the dairy sector in Assam.
