Milma to Unveil Measures to Enhance Milk Production: AGM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), known by brand Milma, will be coming out with a slew of measures to increase milk production in the state, further empower the milk societies and ramp up the competitive edge of its products in the market.

The 52nd Annual General Body Meeting of KCMMF, held here today, also decided to carry forward with the subsidies and welfare measures for dairy farmers, while ensuring its commitment to customers by providing high quality milk and dairy products.

Milma Chairperson K S Mani, who presided over the AGM, said KCMMF and its regional unions will continue to maintain benefits, subsidies and welfare schemes for dairy farmers.

The meeting also approved the federation’s budget with a revenue of Rs 597.97 crore and capital budget of Rs 67.33 crores for the next year.

Milma’s tie-up with Kerala Bank aimed at making available easy credit and other benefits for dairy farmers and units has yielded positive results and encouraged more people to enter the dairy sector, he noted.

Despite the fall in cattle population by 35 per cent as per the cattle survey, the procurement of milk by Milma’s three regional unions together marked an increase of 13.91 per cent during the period from April to August 2025. While TRCMPU registered an increase of 12.9 per cent, ERCMPU had 18.5 per cent and MRCMPU 12.43 increase.

All the three regional unions of Milma have been providing subsidies and incentives to the dairy farmers under them, which had helped reduce their input cost, Mani said.

The meeting also discussed the possibility of giving preference for dependents of dairy farmers in filling job vacancies at regional unions.

Mani also emphasised the importance of milk societies aiming to increase their revenue by utilising various schemes for their benefits.

The meeting also decided to continue with the subsidy of Rs 100 per sack of cattle feed until October.

The meeting thanked Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan for the decision of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) selecting TRCMPU (Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union) for supply of ghee to Sabarimala during the upcoming pilgrimage season. Two lakh litres of ghee will be supplied to Sabarimala by TRCMPU which, is expected to bring a significant profit for the Federation.

The meeting hailed KSEB’s tariff revisions made in April this year which changed the status of cooperative units with procurement and air-conditioning facilities from commercial tariff bracket to agriculture tariff slab.

Replying to the debate at the AGM, Mani said increasing the price of milk was not on the card in the backdrop of reduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on a wide range of goods including dairy products.

AGM was of the view that the benefit from reduction in GST need to be passed on to the customers.

A five-member experts committee formed to study the pricing of Milma products has, however, suggested a relook at pricing could be considered in January or February next year, after assessing the market conditions, Mani added.

TRCMPU Chairperson Mani Vishwanath, ERCMPU Chairperson CN Valsalan Pillai, Milma MD Asif K Yusuf, governing body members, Dairy Development Department Registrar and top officials of regional unions attended the meeting.