As many as 16 Bulk Milk Chilling (BMC) plants with a capacity of 5,000 litres and costing Rs 20 lakh each are being set up in Coimbatore District to ensure quality and flavour in the milk as part of the modernisation exercise, said C. Siraj, General Manager of Coimbatore District Milk Producers Union (CDCMPU).

Talking to “The Hindu”, Mr.Siraj said that the installation works in respect of 11 plants were almost nearing completion and the rest would also be completed shortly. These plants are coming up in major villages catering to the needs of the dairy farmers in the nearby ten villages for each chilling plant. At present, CDCMPU has procurement facility and chilling plants at Sultanpet, Shanmugapuram, Annur and Tirupur. It takes nearly three hours for the milk to reach the chilling plant and by then the milk develops bacterial growth and it had to be once again children to regain the quality and flavour. Now, the milk would reach the BMCs within half-an-hour enabling the retention of quality and flavour of the milk avoiding bacterial growth.

Mr.Siraj also said that CDCMPU which earns a profit of nearly Rs 2 crore per month is all set to embark on a massive modernisation and expansion plan at Rs 27.27 crores utilising its own funds. The exercise would take the existing milk handling capacity from 2 lakh litres to 5 lakh litres. At present, the union with a capacity of 2 lakh litres was handling closer to 2.34 lakh litres. It was registering an average sale of 1.53 lakh litres per day and it would soon go up to 1.74 lakh litres. There is enough procurement and marketing potential and the CDCMPU was just waiting for capacity augmentation and modernisation drive to be completed so as to tap the full potential. At present CDCMPU was meeting the shortfall in milk faced by Chennai City, Udhagamandalam, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari.

With regard to dairy farmers’ welfare, Mr.Siraj said that CDCMPU was at present giving 0.50 paise as incentive to the farmers for every litre of milk procured and had written to the Government for enhancing it to Rs 1. Similarly, efforts are on to get milch cows to 3,500 dairy farmers through loans from banks at 10 per cent interest and 25 per cent back ended assistance from NABARD.

Parlours and by-products:

CDCMPU is also planning to set up hi-tech parlours to provide milk and by products round the clock and these hi-tech parlours with buildings at Rs 15 lakhs and Rs 10 lakh of interiors and accessories would come up at the Pachapalayam Dairy Unit of CDCMPU and its marketing office at R.S. Puram besides one at Tirupur near Veerapandi Pirivu, Mr.Siraj said. In addition, the CDCMPU is also planning to open up outlets through franchisees in 20 places across the city.

On market presence, Mr.Siraj said that the issue was not overn opening outlets or offering franchisees and CDCMPU was just waiting for modernisation and capacity augmentation so that the market needs could be met in full without hitches.

Once modernisation drive is completed, the CDCMPU will focus on producing by products of milk such flavoured ice cream in candy and cups, paneer, badam milk and mixture, curd in cups. All these products are expected to hit the market very shortly.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / News> Cities> Coimbatore / by V.S. Palaniappan / Coimbatore, February 29th, 2012