KS Mani, Chairman, Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, known popularly by brand name Milma, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI), the apex body of dairy and edible oil cooperatives in the country.
The election was announced at a special general body meeting of the NCDFI held at Anand in Gujarat on Thursday. The NCDFI board comprises representatives of federal cooperatives of all states and Union Territories, and is mandated to coordinate, network and engage in advocacy of all matters related to the country’s dairy sector.
Dairy, oil seeds, edible oil sectors
Established 1970 as a subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board, NCDFI primarily works for the promotion of dairy, oil seeds, edible oil and the vanaspathy industries, oil seed growers’ cooperatives and affiliated organisations.
Its activities include coordination of milk and milk products supplied to Defence Services, providing online market place for the dairy industry, and working for genetic improvement of cattle. Associated to NCDFI are 27 state milk federations, 223 district unions, 1.96 lakh village-level societies and 173 lakh dairy farmers.
NCDFI has focused mainly on application of technology to ensure better returns to dairy cooperatives and milk producers. The NCDFI eMarket was launched as an initiative based on this.
Chairman of Malabar Union
Mani had taken over as Milma Chairman in July last year, following the death of predecessor PA Balan Master. Mani is an accomplished management expert and a veteran cooperator with decades of hands-on experience in the dairy sector, an official spokesman said here. Mani is also Chairman of the Malabar Regional Cooperative Milk Producers Union.
His business acumen and empathy for dairy farmers had come in handy in steering Milma through the challenge posed by the staggered pandemic, the spokesman added. Besides playing a central role in maintaining the market dominance of Milma’s fresh milk and other dairy staples, Mani’s deep market insight drove the successful launch of a bouquet of value-added items.