KOCHI: ABT Industries Limited, the dairy division of Rs 6,000-crore Sakthi Group of Companies, has chalked out a Rs 180 crore investment plan for capacity addition and promote value-added products such as cheese, paneer, yogurt and sterlised flavoured milk. Expansion plans of the company include skimmed milk unit at Pollachi, milk processing plant at
Krishnagiri and two such plants in Kerala, said C P Charles, senior president (Operations), ABT Industries.
Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the milk processing plant visit at Pollachi, Charles said that the first plant of ABT Industries in Kerala will come up by March 2017 in Ernakulam district.
Another plant will be set up in North Kerala.
“We want to increase our total milk sales from 2.30 lakh litre/day to 10 lakh litre/day by 2025. Currently, the company procures from 15,560 farmers in and around Pollachi. In Kerala, we sell one lakh litre milk on a daily basis.
Our target is to sell two lakh litre of milk in two years in the state,” he said. There are 46 units under the Sakthi Group umbrella with 17 companies in Agri, Auto, Finance and Power Sector, 18 educational institutions from schools to professional colleges, 4 Health Care institutions and 7 CSR establishments.
The company provides technical inputs on artificial insemination services, animal health services, fodder development activities, feeding, nutrition and training.
“Dairy Clinics established by the company is addressing the breeding and health issues of the animals of the members,” added Charles.
The average milk production by a farmer in the country is 7 litre/day whereas the average milk production of a dairy farmer who comes under ABT Industries is 7.3 litre/day, he noted. The Indian dairy industry is worth Rs 80,000 crore but only 20 per cent comes from the organised sector. The growth rate is 25 per cent.
“ABT Industries wants to add value to the dairy produce of the local villages. The Village Level Collection Centres (VLCC) are equipped with computerised milk scanners and the milk procured is analysed for fat, solids-not- fat and added water. The milk thus procured is brought to the milk pooling points established at strategic locations in a cluster of villages where single or multiple Bulk Milk Coolers (BMC) are installed to cool the milk to 4 Deg C.
Various quality control tests (17) are conducted at the BMC level to further ensure the quality of milk,” said Baby Joseph, officer on special duty, ABT Industries.