The Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited has proposed to bifurcate the Tiruchi District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union.
Karur will be the headquarters of the new milk producers’ union, with an office building and a chilling centre, to cater to an estimated 141 cooperate milk producers’ societies. It will be the 20th union of the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producer's Federation Limited.
Though Karur district was carved out of Tiruchi district in September 1996, it has been a part of the Tiruchi District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union, which also encompasses Tiruchi Perambalur and Ariyalur districts.
As many as 685 Milk Producers’ Co-op. Societies are functioning and supplying milk to the Tiruchi union. There are 2,08,468 members attached to the societies. Among them, 100 women societies supply milk to the union.
According to a recent estimate, there are 1,13,365 cows and 1,487 buffaloes in Tiruchi, Karur, Ariyalur and perambalur districts. The Tiruchi union procures about 4.55 lakh litres of milk per day. Of it, about 1.20 lakh litres is sold in Tiruchi and about 1.80 lakh litres per day are despatched to Tamil Nadu Co-op. Milk Producers’ Federation Ltd. The remaining milk is converted into by-products.
“We are preparing a proposal to set up a new union with the headquarter at Karur by bifurcating Tiruchi. Preliminary steps are underway,” a senior official of the Aavin in Tiruchi told The Hindu.
The official said all cooperative milk societies and their members would be brought under the new union. It would enable Aavin to take a number of steps to widen its spectrum in Karur district.
At present, there is a chilling centre with the installed capacity of processing 50,000 litres a day in Karur. Once, the new union comes up, the scope for starting an exclusive dairy farm in the district will be explored, the official added.