Mangalore, Jul 16: A high speed milk packing machine at Dakshina Kannada district Milk Producers Union was inaugurated on Monday here.
SCDCC Bank Chairman M N Rajendra Kumar inaugurated the machine. Speaking on the occasion, he said that there was a need to support dairy farming, to meet the demand for milk in the district.
He said that the demand in undivided Dakshina Kannada is 3.50 lakh litre. However, only about 2.79 lakh litre milk is produced in the district. The milk production cost is high in Dakshina Kannada when compared to other districts. Hence, many farmers do not consider dairy farming as a profitable venture. With the State government announcing a subsidy of Rs 4 per litre of milk to dairy producers and families across Karnataka, the milk producers in Dakshina Kannada will get Rs 28.50 per litre of milk.
To a demand of a SHG, Kumar said that the SCDCC bank is committed to lend loan at three per cent interest for the dairy farmers, provided they own farm land. Cooperative societies help in reaching out all the facilities of the government directly to the beneficiaries without any middlemen.
He said the State government has announced free milk for schoolchildren. The DKMUL should chalk out plan for the utilisation of additional milk when schools have holidays.
DKMUL President Raviraj Hegde said that Dakshina Kannada district Milk Producers Union has introduced 'calf rearing scheme' to have sustainable milk production and to become self sufficient in dairy farming. Accordingly, the DKMUL could procure 2.75 lakh litre milk for the first time in the history on June 16. The DKMUL will release cashew burfee during cooperative week. It also plans to set up a dairy unit at Brahmavar in Udupi district. The DKMUL is also planning to set up a unit to produce milk products in the dairy premises in Mangalore.
In order to promote dairy farming, the DKMU is giving a subsidy of Rs 10,000 to grow green grass on one acre of land.
The high speed milk packing machine is installed at a cost of Rs 12 lakh. The machine can pack 8,000 to 10,000 packets of milk in one hour. It will help in saving time and energy and also help in supplying milk to the dealers on demand, said Managing Director Dr B V Sathyanarayana
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