Dakshina Kannada Milk Producers Union Ltd (DKMUL) President K Raviraj Hegde said the DKMUL will launch Jeera buttermilk and milk in five new flavours at the inaugural programme of the 65th All India Cooperative Week to be held on DKMUL premises in Kulshekhar on November 14.
Addressing media persons at DKMUL Dairy at Kulshekhar, he said that the new Jeera buttermilk will be released in 250 ml sachets and flavoured milk in five varieties (Badam, Pista, mango, rose and chocolate) in 200 ml polypropylene bottles.
The new cast polypropylene (CPP) bottling unit will also be inaugurated on the occasion.
With the introduction of the two new products, the total number of milk products by DKMUL will touch 28.
Value added products
A wide range of value-added products of milk introduced by DKMUL have been receiving good response, he said.
The DK milk union has been marketing 26 various products so far, including milk in four different standards, Tripti milk with a shelf life of 90 days, ‘Healthy life’ light milk, curd, thick curd, sweet lassi, mango lassi, spicy buttermilk, plain buttermilk, Peda, Mysore Pak, cashew burfi, Nandini bite, ghee, cream, paneer, diced paneer, khova and flavoured milk. These apart, the products of cooperative milk unions from other districts too, are procured and marketed in the district.
Rs 6.71 cr profit
“The DKMUL has carried out transactions worth Rs 807 crore in 2017-18 and has earned a profit of Rs 6.71 crore. The union has made a record sale of 80,999 kg curds on April 30 and 4,13,756 litre milk on August 21,” he said.
DKMUL covering 721 milk cooperative societies in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts is procuring 4.2 lakh litres of milk and 60,000 kg curds on a daily basis.
The DKMUL markets 3.4 lakh litres of milk to its customers every day.
The milk producers are paid Rs 30 per litre milk on an average. The government provides a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre milk. There are 110 bulk milk coolers of DKMUL in rural areas, he said.
Nandini Tripti milk is marketed in Kerala, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh as well.
Extra milk from Mandya and Shivamogga cooperative milk unions is provided to the schoolchildren in Andhra Pradesh, as a part of their mid-day meal scheme after carrying out co-packing of milk in the new unit.
New diary unit
Hegde said that the new dairy unit of 2.50 lakh litre capacity, built at a cost of Rs 87 crore at Uppur in Udupi will be inaugurated in December.
Hegde said that the possibility of procurement and marketing the milk of indigenous cows are being looked into. Though there are milk producers rearing indigenous cows in Amasebailu, Siddapura and Kolluru areas, the quantity of milk is limited. But a primary report is been obtained in this regard by the DKMUL, he stated.
The DKMUL is looking for people acquainted with diary technology and also veterinary doctors, Hegde added.