The Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cooperative Milk Producers Union (TRCMPU) of Milma has announced that it will be launching an interest-free loan scheme for dairy farmers beginning on January 1, 2024. The primary objective of this scheme is to boost milk production and bridge the shortfall in procurement. The new chairperson of TRCMPU, Mani Viswanadh, stated that under this scheme, dairy farmers will be able to offset the interest on loans obtained from public sector and scheduled banks for purchasing cattle through a subsidy. This interest subsidy will be provided in proportion to the amount of milk supplied to the cooperatives. TRCMPU has allocated ₹1 crore for this interest-free loan scheme, with a target of increasing the daily milk production by 25,000 liters.
TRCMPU is one of the three regional unions and covers the southern districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Alappuzha. However, in recent years, the daily milk procurement by TRCMPU has witnessed a decline from 4,09,232 liters in 2021-22 to 3,64,952 liters in 2022-23. Ms. Viswanadh, the new chairperson, aims to increase this figure to 3,85,000 liters in 2023-24.
Additionally, the scheme also includes a subsidy of ₹150 for every packet of cattle feed sold by the affiliated cooperatives, starting from January 1. This move is intended to increase the profitability of Milma products. Furthermore, the goal is to scale up the share of dairy products in the total turnover to 25% within the next two years. In the fiscal year 2022-23, TRCMPU reported a turnover of ₹1,208 crore, with dairy products constituting a 15% share in it.
The announcement of Ms. Viswanadh’s appointment as the new chairperson was made on Thursday, after the results of the elections held nearly one-and-a-half years ago were declared with the approval of the High Court. She has been serving as the Administrative Convener of TRCMPU since November and holds positions in various other organizations, including the President of Dairy Cooperative Society, Pathiyoorkala, Alappuzha, and the Chairperson of the Health and Education Standing Committee of the Muthukulam Block Panchayat.
