With Tamil Nadu emerging as one of the major milk producers in the country, efforts are being made to modernise dairies to increase procurement and preservation of milk products.
A Rs 21.41-crore plan is on to upgrade the dairies at Vellore, Ambattur, Krishnagiri, Kakalur, Madhavaram, Sholinganallur, Erode and Villupuram, Dairy Development Department sources said.
While the Vellore dairy would handle facilities like milk and cream pasteuriser, and ghee settling tank, orders have been placed to purchase 10 units of milk coolers to enhance ice-cream production facilities, among others.
The Kakalur dairy is being upgraded at Rs 3.6 crore to handle up to one lakh litres of milk per day. The dairy would be made a ‘satellite dairy’, especially to serve Chennai residents.
Besides, the Government has undertaken an ‘intensive’ milk development programme under which it is proposed to create infrastructure to step up milk processing and marketing, improvisation of milk procurement and milk sales.
Mobile milk parlour
Noting that a new modern milk parlour is established in Chennai under the initiative of strengthening the cold chain network for milk products, the sources said the installation of mobile parlours across Chennai is on.
“The work for installation of two new parlours in the city is in progress”, they said.
Observing that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 2.99 crore to upgrade the District Co-Operative Milk Producers’ Union in Pudukkottai and Virudhunagar districts, the sources said: “the Government of India has released Rs 1.89 crore as the first year grant.’’
However, the State Government has sent three new proposals to the Centre for establishing similar unions in Nilgiris, Dharmapuri and Kancheepuram-Thiruvallur districts, respectively at Rs 10.13 crore.
The union’s activities are to procure milk from primary societies and promote milk production, among others.
At present, 17 district co-operative milk producers’ unions operate in the state. At the village level, there are 9,231 milk producers’ co-operative societies.
Sources in the Tamil Nadu Co-operative Milk Producers’ Federation Ltd (Aavin) said of the 21 lakh litres of milk procured by it from cooperative societies across the state, 11 lakh litres was supplied to meet the requirements of Chennai.