TN Announces Schemes To Boost Milk Output, Cooling and Procurement Automation
She said Aavin business franchises will be opened at all government medical college hospitals to provide pure and nutritious milk to the patients
Chennai: Dairy development minister C Vijayalakshmi on Wednesday came out with announcements to improve milk quality for consumers, improve milk production and setting up milk coolant facilities to maintain quality besides end-to-end automation of milk procurement to avoid corrupt practices.
Replying to the demand for grants for the daily development ministry in the Assembly, she said Ambattur milk dairy, providing 4.5 lakh litres of milk in packets to Chennai consumers, would be improved at a cost of Rs. 2 crore by setting up a homogeniser at the dairy.
She said Aavin business franchises will be opened at all government medical college hospitals to provide pure and nutritious milk to the patients.
She announced end-to-end automation in milk procurement to ensure transparency in the process.
Vijayalakshmi said a programme will be taken up to bring down the age of reproduction of Jersey cows and to ensure the physical growth of the calves at an estimated cost of Rs. 10 crore. Under the scheme, the Jersey calves would be provided balanced fodder, medicines to remove worms in the intestines, and mineral salts.
Vijayalakshmi announced another programme to cure the problems in the fertility of some cows other than Jersey breed with the purpose of improving milk reproduction at a budget of Rs. 10 crore. The cows with reproduction problems will be identified and the defects cured, besides giving them nutritious fodder. The programme is aimed at reducing the economic losses of the milk producers and improving their livelihood.
She said 60 bulk milk coolers will be set and 40 buildings with cooling facilities will be constructed to store milk and prevent the degradation of quality and safety at a cost of Rs. 25 crore. The bulk milk coolers will have a capacity of 3,000 to 5,000 litres.
The cooling facilities, which will be available in the rural areas, will help milk producers quickly transport the milk, protecting their quality, nutrients and safety, the minister said. The coolers would help the cattle growers provide quality milk to consumers, improve their income and reduce transporting charges.
Vijayalakshmi said generator sets will be provided to 100 milk coolers to avoid spoiling of milk during power outages. She said adulteration detectors will be provided to 84 milk storing centres to prevent adulteration and ensure safe milk for consumers. The quality test laboratories at Erode and Tiruvannamalai will be given additional equipment to modernise them.
The minister said 25 metric tonne of grass seeds will be provided to 5,000 milk producers to encourage fodder production for cattle, bring down fodder cost and improve cattle health, besides increasing milk yield and income of milk producers.