PEERMADE: Setting ground for a new innings aimed at a true white revolution in a systematic manner in Idukki district and thereby to meet a substantial portion of the milk requirements of the state in future, 150 acres of land in Kolahalamedu in the Vagamon hills near here, was formally handed over to the Kerala Livestock Development Board (KLDB) on Tuesday.
Making use of the financial assistance from the Centre, of which Rs 3 crore has already been granted, the unit will become a reality in 16-month time.
The high-tech dairy unit, taking cue from such facilities in vogue in many European countries, will be essentially a mechanised one capable to facilitate various activities such as feeding, cleaning, milching of cows and treatment of wastes using modern and proven gadgets and systems. The high-tech dairy farm is expected to take care of 500 to 1000 high breed cows.
The milk procured and chilled in the unit, which will be purely organic in content, will be branded and marketed at a premium price in Idukki and nearby districts. The fresh, high-value milk is poised to be a sought after product, since the flavour will be retained as such, mainly because the pasteurisation process will be given a go by.
Transferring the land and inaugurating a public meet to mark the occasion, Civil Supplies and Animal Husbandry Minister C Divakaran described the project as a ‘Dream Dairy Farm’, which will change the face of milk production in the state as well as the lives of scores of dairy farmers who have been enlisted to start atellite dairy units in the vicinity of the high-tech farm, under the supervision of the KLD Board.
The minister said that the ever rising demand for milk and poultry products was one such area apart from the heavy shortfall experienced in rice production and other edibles.
“While Kerala is fully dependent on many neighbouring states for its survival, Rs 800 crore is being flown to Tamil Nadu every year in the case of eggs alone. So is the case with milk, vegetables and many other products. The government is keen to find realistic measures to reverse the trend or at least to meet a good share of the requirements within a short time. An environment of consensus is emerging in the State so as to address the teething problems staring upon the State,” he said.
The high-tech dairy farm is conceived along with the proposed dairy science college at Kolahalamedu under the Kerala Agricultural University, which is yet to take off even though it was in the news for the past one decade. Ironically, the college is functioning in the name of Kolahalamedu Dairy Science College in Thrissur.
The 150 acres of land identified and transferred to the KLDB for setting up the farm was procured through the Revenue Department, which had seized the same as surplus land under the custody of a private tea plantation adjacent to the existing dairy farm of the Board in Kolahalamedu.
E S Bijimol MLA presided over the function. P T Thomas MP released the fodder seeds and saplings to be distributed under the aegis of the KLD Board, for farmers on the occasion. He extended all help to make the project a reality at the earliest as well as to bring in many other schemes. Dr Ani S Das, managing director, KLD Board welcomed the gathering. District collector Ashok Kumar Singh presented a report.