Minister Chinchurani inaugurates National Milk Day celebrations
Kollam / November 26, 2025
Kollam, Nov 26: Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Smt J Chinchurani today inaugurated the state-level celebrations of National Milk Day organised by Milma, recalling the services of the father of India’s White Revolution, the late Dr. Verghese Kurien who contributed immensely to the growth of the country’s dairy sector while ensuring financial security of the dairy farmers.
Noting that Milma has played a vital role in the growth of the dairy sector in the state that saw a sharp increase in milk production and procurement, Smt Chinchurani said this has assured a consistent livelihood for dairy farmers in the last 45 years.
National Milk Day coincides with the birth anniversary of late Dr Verghese Kurien.
“By providing additional incentives, cattle subsidy and other welfare schemes to our dairy farmers, Milma has always prioritized the welfare of dairy farmers,” the Minister noted.
In the last financial year, Milma had given back 92.5 percentage of its profits, through welfare schemes and incentives to our dairy farmers, said Smt Chinchurani.
Over the years, Milma has transformed itself into a prominent cooperative organisation with an annual turnover of Rs. 4,327 crores. It procures around 1.25 million litres of milk per day and sells around 1.65 million litres of milk per day, she added.
Milma has recorded a 14 percent increase in milk procurement from April to September this year, which is a historic achievement, said the minister.
Prof V K Ramachandran, Vice Chairperson, State Planning Board, called for Dr. Verghese Kurien to be awarded the Bharat Ratna for transforming the country’s cooperative dairy sector.
Delivering the Dr. Verghese Kurien Memorial lecture on the occasion, Prof. Ramachandran said Dr Kurien’s thrust on cooperative credit system enabled even people without initial capital or land to enter the dairy sector.
Dr. Kurien prioritized professionalised management coupled with advanced technology for the dairy cooperative sector to compete with private and corporate players. This model could be adapted to other cooperative ventures as well, he said.
In the prevailing scenario, it is important to focus on strengthening the dairy cooperative sector, improve breed quality and animal health, feed and fodder quality and ensure better conditions for women and enable women to have greater control over the income generated, Prof. Ramachandran said.
He also noted that Milma’s current leadership has facilitated the increase in production of diverse value-added products.
The growth of India’s dairy sector over the years is the result of Dr. Kurien’s visionary leadership, Milma Chairman Shri KS Mani said.
Milma has recorded increase in milk procurement and sales over the years and the state has the potential to be self-sufficient in milk production and procurement, he added.
Milma’s diverse and value-added products can compete with any international brand and will continue to push for more international markets. Also, Milma’s regional unions have started a project to market their products through cooperative societies which will scale up its distribution network and sales, he added.
The increase in milk procurement in the state is the result of the welfare schemes and subsidies provided by Milma and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development, said Thiruvananthapuram Regional Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union (TRCMPU) Chairperson, Smt. Mani Viswanath. Milma has always given priority to the welfare of its dairy farmers, she added.
Schemes related to the dairy sector should be formulated by taking into account the specific agricultural ecosystem of a region, which will improve productivity, noted Ernakulam Regional Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union (ERCMPU) Chairman Shri. Valsalan Pillai C N. He also added that steps are being taken to encourage small scale dairy farms in the state.
Shri M Noushad, MLA; Smt Shalini Gopinath, Director, Dairy Development Department; TRCMPU MD Shri R Rararaj KAS and MRCMPU MD Shri KC James; TRCMPU Governing body member K Mohanan Pillai and Federation Board Members also attended the event.
ENDS
