DKMF targets to procure 3 lakh litres milk per day

Manipal, May 21 (UNI) The Dakshina Kannada Milk Producers' Federation (DKMF) has set a target of procuring three lakh litres of milk per day by 2010, against the present procurement of 2.03 lakh litres per day, DKMF President K Diwakar Shetty said today.

Speaking at a press conference here, he said to achieve the target before the stipulated period, the Federation had modernized the Manipal plant at a cost of Rs one crore, by introducing a new unit with a capacity to pasteurize 10,000 litres of milk per day.

The plant had also been SYLO unit to store 40,000 litres milk.

He said the federation had also taken up upgradation of Mangalore plant at a cost of Rs six crore to increase the capacity to 2.5 lakh litres per day, from the present one lakh litres per day. The work on increasing the capacity of cooling system, modernizing the cleaning system and incorporating Hazard Analysis Central Control Program (HACCP) were in progress.

The federation, under which 20 Bulk Milk Coolers (BMC) were functioning, had proposed to add 30 more BMCs and awaiting approval from the Centre and the NABARD, he added.

Replying a question, Mr Shetty said the Federation was paying Rs 11.25 per litre, which was the maximum in the state for procurement as against the prevailing rate varied from Rs 8.50 to Rs 10.50 per litre paid by other milk federations. The federation had also distributed Rs 94 lakh last year to milk producers for various purposes, including distribution of milking machines to mini-dairies and subsidy components in the undivided district.

He said the federation had now been awarded the tender of supplying ghee to the Tirupati Tirumala temple this year through KMF, he said.

UNI