Milk processing capacity of Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (Aavin) is set to be enhanced soon with a new plant coming up at Padalur in Perambalur district by the end of August.
The processing unit is part of Aavin’s expansion plans to enhance its milk handling capacity. The dairy would have a capacity to process about one lakh litres of milk procured from cooperatives in Perambalur and Ariyalur districts.
Aavin has planned capacity expansion by seven lakh litres over the next two years. Putting up processing units at various places, including Padalur in Perambalur district, Madurai, Vellore, and Kancheepuram districts in the State is part of this mission.
While the one at Padalur is a green field unit, the others are expansion projects, Sunil Paliwal, Commissioner of Milk Production and Dairy Development and Managing Director of federation, told The Hindu .
This was necessitated because of increase in milk procurement in the State over the past few years. Procurement had gone up to 31 lakh litres a day now from 21 lakh litres in October 2014 because of the government’s efforts to promote dairy development, Mr. Paliwal said.
He inspected the work at the Padalur dairy here on Thursday.
Procurement by the Tiruchi District Cooperative Milk Producers Union has gone up to about 4.35 lakh litres a day, up by about 50,000 litres over the last year. The union procures milk from over 700 milk cooperative societies in Tiruchi, Karur, Perambalur, and Ariyalur districts.
Perambalur district alone has 179 milk cooperative societies with 17,581 members and the dairy would process and market the milk procured locally. The unit could supply packaged milk to neighbouring districts and the suburbs of Chennai.
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had laid the foundation stone in July 2015 for the milk processing unit sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 36.28 crore. The dairy would come up on an area of 23 acres of land and work was in full swing. Butter and ghee making units would be part of the new dairy. A proposal for establishing a milk powder making unit at the dairy at an estimated cost of Rs. 50 crore had been submitted to the government.
Accompanied by Collector K. Nandakumar and Aavin officials, Mr. Paliwal inspected the Pudukurichi Sub-Station, which would supply power, and the arrangements for supply of water from the Naranamangalam pumping station to the dairy.
