TIRUPPUR: Farmers expressed joy after Chief Minister MK Stalin announced that the state government will set up a butter production centre in Uthukuli of Tiruppur district.
Stalin, during a welfare assistance distribution event in Udumalaipet on Monday, announced various upcoming development projects for Tiruppur district. This included a new butter production centre for Rs 6.5 crore in Uthukuli, which has been a long-pending demand of local farmers.
S Chinnasamy, district secretary of Tamil Nadu Farmers Association (CPI), said, "Uthukuli is famous for dairy products such as butter, ghee, curd and buttermilk. Traditionally, this industry has been operating since many generations. However, the number of companies involved in butter and ghee production is decreasing by the day.
There are many dairy farmers in Uthukuli who rely on the butter and ghee industry, and are involved in milk production. We had been requesting the state government to take appropriate steps to protect this industry, and a part of this demand was to establish a butter production centre in Uthukuli."
"We welcome the announcement made by the chief minister. This centre will definitely serve as a boost for the farmers, as it will likely purchase milk from the farmers. This will also ensure that private companies provide fair prices to farmers," he added.
R Kumar, district secretary of Tamil Nadu Farmers Association (AIKS), said, "The announcement of a butter production centre in Uthukuli is a welcome one. However, it is unclear as to how this will be implemented, and if Aavin administration will manage it."
S Paramasivam, district treasurer of Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Association, said, "Private companies have been dominating butter and ghee production in the state. We believe the new unit will encourage butter production through Aavin. But for farmers to reap the benefits of this centre, the government should increase milk procurement through Aavin."
"Tamil Nadu produces 1.35 crore litres of milk daily, of which Aavin handles only 30-35 lakh litres of milk," he added. A senior official from Aavin (Tiruppur) said, "We are yet to receive the scheme details and procedural details. Until then, we cannot comment on the announcement."