Dairy Plant Setup — FSSAI Licence, Pollution Consent & Scheme Support

It depends on milk volume and turnover, and the stricter result wins. A dairy handling more than 50,000 litres a day needs a central licence under Schedule 1, as does one operating in two or more states. Below that, most processing dairies need a state licence. From 1 April 2026, turnover above ₹50 crore also means a central licence. We work out both tests with your numbers before filing, so you apply once at the right level.

Under Regulation 2.1.4 the licence should be issued within 60 days of the Application ID. If the authority orders an inspection, it decides within 30 days of the inspection report. Dairies cannot use FSSAI’s instant licence route, because milk, meat and fish products are excluded from it. A complete procurement plan and a recent water report usually avoid a round of queries.

Not for licences issued on or after 1 April 2026. The Licensing and Registration Amendment Regulations, 2026 made them valid unless suspended, cancelled or surrendered. The catch is the annual fee: it is compulsory, and non-payment means the licence is treated as suspended. You may pay for several years at once. Older licences migrate on a self-declaration, with no fee and the same licence number. We keep the fee on your calendar so the plant never runs on a suspended licence.

Usually yes, because a dairy uses water for washing and cleaning and discharges effluent. Under the Water Act a unit that discharges trade effluent needs the State Pollution Control Board’s prior consent. The Board places each industry in the Red, Orange, Green or White category, and only White units need just an intimation. Your Board confirms the category for your capacity. In Haryana we file on HSPCB’s OCMMS portal and handle the inspection follow-up.

Yes. The Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund supports dairy processing and value addition, among seven activity groups, and is open to individual entrepreneurs, private companies, MSMEs, farmer producer organisations, Section 8 companies and dairy co-operatives. The DAHD website lists an outlay of ₹29,110.25 crore up to FY 2025-26, ending 31 March 2026. Loans are applied for on the AHIDF portal on Udyami Mitra. Check the scheme’s current status before planning around it, and we will prepare the project file either way.

The National Programme for Dairy Development is for farmer-owned institutions, not private dairies. Beneficiaries are milk unions, state dairy federations, multi-state milk co-operatives, milk producer companies and FPOs, with projects routed through State Implementing Agencies and sanctioned by a committee chaired by the DAHD Secretary. If your group of milk producers wants this support, a producer company or co-operative is the route. We help form it, so the structure fits the scheme from day one.

Yes, if you pre-pack milk, curd, paneer or ghee for sale. Rule 27 of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 requires every packer to register with the state Legal Metrology Controller within 90 days of starting, with a fee of ₹500. Every pack must also carry the declarations, such as net quantity, maker’s name and address, and month and year of manufacture. We register the unit and check your label against the rules before printing.

No. We handle the entity, applications, documents, portal filings, liaison with departments and ongoing compliance. Plant design is done by your dairy engineer, water and product testing by an accredited laboratory, and inspections by the authorities. We coordinate with each of them and turn their reports into complete applications, so you can focus on milk procurement.