Aavin milk equal to mother’s milk: Minister

TRICHY: Amid a controversy over People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) vouching for plant-based

milk

products, state minister for milk and dairy development S M Nasar has said that Aavin milk can be considered equal to mother’s milk. He asked people to prefer Aavin milk over milk from

private companies

which he said is adulterated in various ways.

“Why do people have to go for private milk companies knowing about the adulteration when Aavin produces milk which can be matched with mother’s milk in terms of purity,” said the minister who was in

Pudukottai

to inspect Aavin units as well as milk distribution on Sunday. He was responding to a question on charges of adulteration against private milk companies raised by the previous government. He said the government will carry out a probe if it received complaints.

Asked about PETA’s suggestion to

Amul

to promote vegan milk production as dairy business subjects animals to cruelty, the minister said, “Amul has adequately responded to the suggestion and we have nothing more to add to it.” He said

milk procurement

has gone up from 36 lakh litres a day to 40 lakh litres ever since the new government assumed charge. The sales too have gone up during the lockdown. Aavin procures 63,000 litres of milk every day of which 21,500 is sold as sachets within Pudukottai district alone while the rest is transferred to Chennai for making value-added products.

On the chances of milk procurement price being increased by Aavin to benefit farmers, he said the state government reduced price by Rs 3 a litre for Aavin milk which is causing a loss of Rs 220 crore annually. “We have been trying to bring down losses through innovative practises, but increasing procurement price may not be possible soon,” he said. He said Aavin is producing 152 value added products as of now and some more are in the pipeline.

Blaming the previous AIADMK government for confining Aavin within the state without realising its potential in national and global market, he said Aavin is not reaching even its neighbouring states. “But products like Amul,

Nandini

milk and other things are being supplied to several states. We will not only take steps to take Aavin across the country, but we are in talks with other countries to take our value-added products,” he said.


On Sun, 6 Jun 2021 at 19:10, Sambath Kumar K <ksambathkumar87@gmail.com> wrote:
Private companies sell adulterated milk, Aavin is equal to mother’s milk, said minister for milk and dairy development S M Nasar in Pudukottai