1.12 lakh Namakkal farmers await new dairy plant

Currently, Aavin operates two chilling units, each having capacity of 50,000 litres, at Laddivadi.
Image for representational purpose only. ( File | EPS)
Image for representational purpose only. ( File | EPS)

NAMAKKAL: The announcement of establishing a Aavin dairy in Namakkal has brought joy to 1.12 lakh dairy farmers in the district. The State government in February signed an MoU with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to set up the plant. Sources said the plant would be built on 8 acres in the premises of the veterinary college at a cost of Rs 70 crore. Chief Minister M K Stalin will lay the foundation stone for the project soon.

Currently, Aavin operates two chilling units, each having capacity of 50,000 litres, at Laddivadi. The Namakkal unit was divided from Salem Aavin in 2018 and started functioning on December 17, 2018. It has 529 Milk Producers Cooperative Societies (MPCS), including 21 dormant, with 1.12 lakh farmer members. Of these, 17,208 farmers who supply exclusively to Aavin (pouring members) across the district.

Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Welfare Association (TNMPWA) general secretary MG Rajendran said, "At present, 1.46 lakh litres of milk is procured daily and sent to the Salem plant. The number of Aavin units in the State went up to 25 from 17 during the AIADMK regime, and Namakkal was among the new eight. Namakkal recorded the highest procurement levels so far among the new units. Yet, the procured milk had to be transported to Salem as there is no facility to package it here. With this new plant, the cost of transportation will come down and profit of the unit will increase."

Further, he said procurement is likely to increase to 400 to 500 litres a day from the current level of 100-200 litres. "This will encourage farmers to purchase more cows by availing bank loans through coop societies. Local by-product production like milk powder, ice cream etc., would also increase the profit margin for farmers," Rajendran said.

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