Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on Tuesday virtually inaugurated the new warehouse facility in the existing Dairy-cum-Powder Plant (DCPP) at Ammapalayam village near Chengam town in Tiruvannamalai to store additional 1,500 tonnes of skimmed milk powder.
Officials of the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (TNCMPF), said that the existing DCPP plant, which was established by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in November 2014, has the capacity to handle two lakh litres of milk per day (LLPD) and to produce 20 tonnes of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) per day. It also manufactures 100 tonnes of ghee every day.
The plant also has the capacity to store 500 tonnes of butter and 1,500 tonnes of SMP. The main purpose of the dairy plant is to handle the surplus milk by converting it into butter and SMP to enhance the shelf life of the milk products. “Additional warehouse facilities in the plant will help to store more milk powder for a longer period. Such a facility will help especially during emergencies when the requirement of milk powder increases,” U. Mani, Deputy General Manager In-Charge, DCPP, told The Hindu.
Spread over 18,400 sq.ft, the new warehouse has been built at a cost of ₹29.32 crore with joint funds from the TNCMPF. The new facility will store 1,500 tonnes of SMP. In other words, the DCPP plant will now have a total storage capacity of 3,000 tonnes of SMP. The initiative will help over 15 lakh milk producers in 27 districts from whom milk is procured by Aavin, the popular brand of TNCMPF, for DCPP plant.
During emergencies like floods, such additional storage of SMP will help in easy distribution for affected families in the State. The new warehouse facility in Tiruvannamalai is the fifth such facility in the State after similar facilities in Erode, Madurai, Krishangiri and Salem.
Deputy Speaker of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly K. Pitchandi, Tiruvannamalai Collector B. Murugesh, C.N. Annadurai, MP (Tiruvannamalai) and M. P. Giri, MLA (Chengam), were present on the occasion at the plant.
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