NILGIRIS: Chief Minister M K Stalin will lay the foundation stone for Aavin’s semi-automated cheese plant in Ooty on April 6 during his two-day visit to the district. According to sources, NABARD has sanctioned `13.14 crore for the plant under the Rural Infrastructures Development Scheme. It will produce one tonne of cheese per day.
General manager of Aavin Nilgiris Dr M Jayaraman told TNIE that the plant is the only state-owned plant in Tamil Nadu which produces cheese as the climate is best suited for it. “We used to produce 500 kg of cheese manually. The production was stopped three months ago to set up new machinery. Once the CM lays the foundation, we will complete the installation and start producing 1,000 kg of cheese per day within the next four months. The entire produce will be sent to Aavin Chennai, which will distribute it to outlets across the state based on requirements and also to other cities including Mumbai.”
“We will be recruiting staff to operate the new plant and the approval is expected to arrive soon from Chennai. The packaging size and price for cheese will also be decided by officials in Chennai,” he added.
Further, he said Aavin will start making chocolates in the Nilgiris plant. “The plant will be set up within the Aavin campus at a cost of `2.21 crore. Currently, the tender process is underway. The plant will come up within a year,” he said.