Milma milk powder factory opened at Moorkanad in Malappuram

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan greeting the crowd at the inauguration of the Milma milk powder factory at Moorkanad near Valanchery on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated Milma’s new milk powder factory at Moorkanad near Valanchery on Tuesday. Set up at a cost of ₹131.3 crore, the factory has become the latest milestone of Milma in the State.

While the Dairy Development department gave ₹15 crore, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) provided ₹32.72 crore. The remaining cost was met by Milma’s Malabar zone union.

Built by Tetra Pak, a well-known Swedish company known for milk powder processing, the Milma factory has deployed the latest technology for converting milk to powder. The factory can produce 10 tonnes of milk powder a day by converting one lakh litres of milk.

Milma chairman K.S. Mani said the factory would enable Milma to procure all the milk produced by dairy farmers in the State.

E.T. Mohammed Basheer, MP, launched the Milma milk powder on the occasion. Milma dairy whitener will soon be available in the market in packets of 25 kg, 10 kg, 1 kg, 500 grams, 200 grams, 50 grams, and 20 grams.

Milma officials said supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) would monitor and control the whole process of powder making. Mr. Mani said that only milk that met the standard would be collected for conversion to powder.

Milma will no longer have to take the blame for refusing to procure excess milk from farmers. Even if procured, Milma had to depend on other States for converting milk into powder.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the government and Milma were on a joint drive to bring about self-sufficiency in milk production.

The Chief Minister called upon Milma to increase value-added products in the dairy sector. Nutrition food products are getting much attention, and Milma should explore this potential, he said.

Mr. Vijayan said climate change was causing hurdles to milk procurement. “It will be addressed by starting more chilling plants in the State,” he said. Minister for Dairy Development J. Chinchurani presided over the function. Manjalamkuzhi Ali, MLA, district panchayat president M.K. Rafeekha, vice president Ismail Moothedam, District Collector V.R. Vinod, Kerala Dairy Farmers Welfare Fund Board chairman V.P. Unnikrishnan, and NABARD chief general manager Baiju N. Kurup spoke.