The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Bulk milk cooling units a boon to Chittoor region

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Saturday, Jan 19, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Bulk milk cooling units a boon to Chittoor region

Correspondent

Milk being collected in 82 villages of Madanapalle

BMCUs managed by Mahila units at mandal level
Madanapalle has 11 private dairies with Rs. 2 crore turnover

Madanapalle: The bulk milk cooling unit inaugurated by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy recently as a panacea to peasants committing suicides.

The A.P. Dairy Development Corporation Federation Limited was formed in Chittoor district six years after the milk chilling centre that had provided a living for many a farmer of the drought-prone district was shut down in 2002. Now the milk collection programme has commenced in Madanapalle with a capacity of 5,000 litres a day in and around 82 villages which are able to supply 5,500 litres of milk.

The milk bulk cooling units (BMCU) being managed by Mahila units at mandal level under the Indira Kranthi scheme is indeed a unique concept. Three units each for Madanapalle, Ramasamudram, N. Palle, Pedda Thippa Samudram, Peddamandem, Molakalacheruvu mandals have been installed. The milk producers are being paid Rs. 11 per litre. At the village level, members of ‘Palamitra’ collect the milk. So far the producers earned Rs. 60,000. Under the operational costs Rs.1.35 is being paid per litre once in ten days while the private dairies are paying once in a fortnight. The collected milk is to be sent to Anantapur dairy where it will be purified and then sent to Hyderabad. In Madanapalle area, there are 11 private dairies and 4 ‘kova’ plants. . Each dairy supplies 30,000 litres and 11 dairies in total supply 3,00,000 litres with a turnover of Rs. 2 crore. Animal Husbandry department is raising the plants which will be useful for green manure. In Madanapalle division there are around 82,558 cattle. The cattle feed production is being taken up under the NREGS . It may be recalled that the first milk chilling centre was opened in 1978 on the Madanapalle Bangalore road. It was then a boon to the peasants who had managed to earn a decent livelihood till the year 2002 when the private dairies gave a death blow to this unit which had to be closed.

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