Govt to uniformize milking of cows across Kerala: Minister Chinchurani

ALAPPUZHA:
The Kerala government will take measures to uniformize the timings for milking cows across the state, Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development J. Chinchurani said today.

Authorities have initiated steps on this front with cooperation from members of the state’s milk cooperatives, she said after inaugurating the distribution of 500 automatic milk collection units across the area of operation of Milma’s Trivandrum Regional Cooperative Milk Producers Union (TRCMPU), near Nooranad, 60 km southeast of the city. Envisaged under a central government project with 90 per cent subsidy, the programme at Thathammunna is part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the primary milk cooperatives while ensuring high-quality milk.

The government plans to ensure a gap of 12 hours between milking of cows. “This can be achieved by installing bulk milk coolers in all cooperative units of the state,” Chinchurani said. “It can improve milk production while also enabling the farmers to engage is other activities of income.”

The action plan is based on the recent experience of farmers up the state, where uniformizing the timings of milking of cows proved successful across the units in the Malabar union of Milma, which is the brand name for the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF).

Noting that the government has been carrying out a string of projects for the overall development of the state’s dairy sector, the Minister recalled that the Trivandrum Regional Cooperative Milk Producers Union (TRCMPU) of the KCMMF is all set to export Milma products to foreign countries from its dairy located in Thatta near Pathanamthitta. The state is keen to promote more such central government schemes, she added.

Kerala is widely implementing facilities such as free treatment of cattle and artificial insemination of cows, besides ambulances for the animals in need of medical treatment. “Primary cooperative societies must strengthen for the advantage of the common farmers,” Smt Chinchurani said, noting that cows in Kerala yield an average of 10.3 litres of milk daily, which puts the state second on the list in the country.

Kodikunnil Suresh, MP, while addressing the gathering, said authorities will check any effort that will weaken the milk farmers in Kerala. Pointing out that the state could effectively counter an “invasion” of the dairy products of Nandini from neighbouring Karnataka, the parliamentarian said he would strive his best to secure more central projects for the benefit of Kerala.

Farmers of the lower rung should make best use of the dairy schemes of both the union and state governments, Suresh noted, after inaugurating the training programmes under the National Programme for Dairy Development for the current financial year.

M.S. Arun Kumar, MLA, presided over the meeting, where TRCMPU convenor N. Bhasurangan delivered the welcome speech. TRCMPU Managing Director D.S. Konda presented a report, while Thathammunna Dairy Cooperative Society President B. Ashok Kumar proposed thanks.

The function was attended, also, by members of local administration bodies, TRCMPU functionaries and officers of the Dairy Development Department.