Milking the boom

Guwahati, Nov. 20: It might be Amul in other places, but in Assam’s hill district of Karbi Anglong, it is set to be Kamul all the way.

The administration of Karbi Anglong district will now supply fresh milk to residents at their doorsteps.

In about a week’s time, people in the district will be able to get a pouch of Kamul (Karbi Anglong Milk Union Limited) — Karbi Anglong’s answer to Amul — at milk parlours.

“Keeping pace with the dairy movement and the white revolution in the country, the Karbi Anglong district administration has launched a pilot initiative. The Karbi Anglong Milk Union Limited (Kamul) has been formed to cater to the needs of small and marginal dairy farmers and look after the interests of consumers who long for fresh and healthy milk,” Karbi Anglong deputy commissioner M. Angamuthu said.

The milk will be made available in half-litre and one-litre packets at the main milk parlour-cum-distribution centre in Diphu, the district headquarters.

Initially, 500 litres of milk will be collected from the dairy self-help groups or primary co-operative societies at fixed rates, Angamuthu disclosed.

After collection, the milk will be processed, pasteurised and packed at a milk processing plant at Manja, from where it will be despatched to the sales centres.

A total of 25 self-help groups has already been identified. Each such group has been provided two hybrid cows with calves, through the dairy and animal husbandry department. All these self-help groups will be integrated and notified as the Primary Milk Producers’ Society. They will later be integrated with Kamul.

He explained that the main objective of this project was to ensure greater efficiency in milk collection, higher profits for the producers and quality milk at affordable prices.

The State Bank of India is financing the project. Necessary technical support will be purveyed through the veterinary and dairy department.

The project will be launched at Manja, after which it will be extended to Silonijan, Howraghat and other places.

The veterinary and animal husbandry department will look after animal healthcare management while the dairy department will take care of marketing of milk and repayment of loan instalments.

The second phase will entail value-addition and processing of milk, with products such as cream, butter, ghee and ice cream being added to the portfolio.

“The dairy sector is potentially one of the most important sectors for ensuring the district’s rapid socio-economic development. Faster growth in this sector is essential not only to achieve higher productivity levels in dairy production but also to increase rural household incomes,” Angamuthu said.