Specialised education, industry linkages and value-added dairy products to open new opportunities for rural youth and farmers

Ranchi: With Jharkhand’s dairy sector gaining importance in rural livelihoods, nutritional security and income generation, the Phulo-Jhano Murmu College of Dairy Technology (PJMCDT), Hansdiha, Dumka under Birsa Agricultural University (BAU), is emerging as an important institution for developing skilled manpower and promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in dairy technology.

Milk production in Jharkhand increased to approximately 3.115 million tonnes in 2024-25, while per-capita milk availability reached around 214 grams per day. These figures highlight the growing potential of the dairy sector and the need to strengthen milk processing, quality assurance, cold-chain infrastructure and value addition to improve farmers’ incomes and provide consumers with safe, nutritious products.

Established with the vision of promoting Dairy Science and Technology in Jharkhand, the college began its academic activities in 2017. It is currently the first and only state-governed college in Jharkhand dedicated to Dairy Science and Technology.

The college offers a four-year B.Tech. programme in Dairy Technology, with an annual intake of 30 students. Its multidisciplinary curriculum covers Dairy Technology, Dairy Engineering, Dairy Chemistry, Dairy Microbiology and Dairy Business Management, preparing graduates for diverse roles across the dairy value chain. Admissions to the programme are currently underway.

Dr Sanjay Kumar Ravi, Associate Dean of PJMCDT, said that the future of the dairy sector depended not merely on increasing milk production but also on extracting greater nutritional and economic value from milk through scientific processing, quality assurance, efficient cold-chain management and product development.

He emphasised the potential of the college to develop into a knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship hub for the state. A teaching-cum-training dairy plant, milk-quality testing and food-safety facilities, product-development initiatives, incubation support and stronger industry-academia collaboration could provide practical exposure to students while encouraging new dairy enterprises.

Research and training opportunities could focus on paneer, khoa, yoghurt, fermented milk products and other traditional dairy products of the region. Low-cost processing technologies, dairy waste utilisation, energy-efficient systems, food safety, climate-resilient processing and improved cold-chain solutions are other promising areas. Specialised training for farmers, women, rural youth and aspiring entrepreneurs could help strengthen village-level dairy enterprises and generate employment.

Students of this college have got placement in organisations like Nestlé India Limited, Jharkhand Milk Federation, the Jharkhand Government as Food Safety Officers, Bihar Government, J&K Foods, Sudha Dairy, the Archaeological Survey of India, GAIL (India) Limited and AMUL’s Banas Federation. Several graduates have pursued higher studies and research at institutions such as the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and SMC College, Anand, while some have enrolled for doctoral programmes at NDRI.

This constituent unit of BAU has the potential to become a regional centre for dairy education, research, skill development and rural entrepreneurship. Its broader vision is to establish a farm-to-fork dairy innovation ecosystem that connects farmers, students, researchers, industries and consumers, contributing to a more technology-driven, employment-oriented and economically vibrant dairy sector in Jharkhand.