Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) is now working to step up the sale of milk in the market following its record procurement of 52 lakh litre of milk per day. The milk glut in the state has led KMF step up its market expansion efforts as well.
“In this regard, the milk major has mooted a strategy to where milk agents are being paid Rs 2 per litre as an incentive for a targeted sale in Bangalore city and Re 1 per litre in other markets. There are also efforts to open up new outlets to vend milk and work towards the implementation of the government welfare scheme,” said Harsh Gupta, managing director, KMF.
The federation has also taken to release an expression of interest advertisement in the media to explore the possibility of selling milk in bulk. To begin with the district unions of Belgaum, Kolar and Tumkur would sell Nandini Milk in sachets in the neighbouring states.
Efforts are on to open walk in cold stores, provide chest coolers to retailers in districts and taluks ensuring the availability of milk throughout the day via bakeries and small outlets.
In order to meet the requirement of high fat milk segment, sold under the brand Samurudhi or the full cream version with 6 per cent fat and 9 per cent SNF (solid not fat) has been launched across the state which has resulted in additional sale of 24,000 litre per day.
In order to improve the thickness and taste of curd, the content of SNF has been restored from 8.5 per cent to 9 per cent without altering the selling price. Efforts are made to identify exclusive milk parlours via franchise route at strategic locations of public transport hubs and government offices, informed the KMF managing director.
There is also a new UHT (ultra high temperature) plant commissioned at Kumabalgod in Mandya district for production of Goodlife brand to augur an additional one lakh litre milk per day. Currently, 2.5 lakh litre of UHT milk is being manufactured by the milk unions at Kolar and Channarayapatna in Hassan district.
“The accumulation of surplus stock of skimmed milk powder (SMP) came about with the ban of the export of milk products which led to simultaneous order to import SMP. These rebounded in a domestic milk output after a post-2009 dip. This led us to dispose 2000 million tones of old SMP produced during January to April 2012. Now new SMP bulk buyers are being identified,” said Gupta.
Spelling out the action, KMF chairman G Somesekar Reddy said that the state government has given a helping hand to dispose the SMP by subsidising 50 per cent of the loss accrued due to fall in the prices. Reprocessing charges of the old stocks of SMP are also being reimbursed.
