Plans afoot to turn Punjab Milkfed commercial

Chandigarh, June 4 (UNI) Milkfed, Punjab's premier milk cooperative and famous for its Verka brand of milk products, has decided to go commercial to compete with other major players in the milk and dairy products sector.

The first step in this direction will be to promote commercial dairy farming by improving the milk yield by encouraging the dairy owners and farmers to go in for high yielding milch animals. An action plan has already been drawn in this context.

Addressing officers of Milkfed, Cooperation Minister Capt Kawaljit Singh said that the objectives of commercial dairy farming will be to increase milk procurement, cut down on transportation charges and pass on the benefit from the cooperative to the farmers.

This would help to generate additional employment in the farming sector.

Milkfed will tie up with the cooperative banks for necessary finances for dairy farmers for their commercial ventures, he said.

Capt Singh pointed out that in view of competitiveness in the field of dairy products with the entry of major corporate giants, it had become imperative to run Milkfed in the most professional manner.

He called upon Milkfed to make efforts to improve the agro-economy of small and medium farmers of Punjab and also to play a pivotal role in diversification of agriculture for ensuring regular income to farmers. He said that this premier cooperative institute should enlarge its scope of functioning in procurement, processing, extension of health services to dairy farmers and incentives to its primary producers.

UNI