Dairy farmers and societies across the State will be given a subsidy of ₹4 per litre as Onam gift, said Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development J. Chinchu Rani in Kollam on August 16.
Inaugurating the sales of Milma Rich milk and Smart Curd and and their delivery through the online platform Swiggy, she added that the subsidy from last month will be made available directly through the banks.
“The Department is providing cows to increase domestic production. This year, twice as many panchayats have been selected for the ‘Pashukidavu’ scheme. A scheme is also being rolled out to give one cow to BPL card holders. A subsidy of ₹16,000 per acre is being given to promote fodder grass cultivation and Kerala Dairy Farmers Welfare Fund Board will offer a kaineettam of ₹250 to all dairy farmers,” said the Minister.
The 500 ml Milma Rich milk that contains 4.5% fat and 8.5% non-fat solids is priced at ₹26. More cups of tea and coffee can be made with a little quantity of milk from Milma Rich, which is also ideal for making sweets and desserts. The 500gm Smart Curd sachet, which contains 1.5% fat and 10% non-fat solids is priced at ₹32. Hotel and Restaurant Association district president R. Chandrasekharan received the products from the Minister.
Pointing out various projects to encourage dairy farming, the Minister said there has been a significant increase in milk production compared to previous years. “Milma is also able to supply sufficient quantity of milk to schools and anganwadis for children’s consumption,” she said.
Mayor Prasanna Earnest, who presided over the function, said the construction of four new Milma stalls is under way in the city to scale up the sale of Milma products. Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cooperative Milk Producers Union of Milma (TRCMPU-Milma) Administrative Committee Convenor N. Bhasurangan said the regional union is making elaborate arrangements for the sale of Milma products to meet the Onam season demand. “Attractive incentives will be given to agencies to encourage sale this year to surpass last year’s record Onam sale.” TRCMPU managing director D.S. Konda presented the report while administrative committee member K.R. Mohanan Pillai and Kollam and Dairy senior manager R. K. Samuel were also present.
