Imphal, October 26: Although the Central Dairy Plant at Porompat has the total capacity of storing 10,000 litres of milk daily, it is presently supplying only 1,200 litres of milk , and thus not being able to meet the demand of the people, due to difficulty faced in collection of the milk being produced from various localities of the State.

With the main objective of solving this difficulty to some extend, a Milk Chilling Plant has been set up at Oinam in Bishnupur District under the Centrally funded Incentive Dairy Development Programme.

It is said that out of the total quantity of 1,200 litres of milk stored at Central Dairy Plant, the CRPF Group Centre at Langjing has requested for supplying 350 to 400 litres of milk every day.

But as there is not enough quantity, the Plant has been supplying only 80 litres of milk every day to the Group Centre.

Moreover, out of the total quantity of 80 litres of milk required by the CRPF Battalion at Mantripukhri daily, the plant is being able to supply only 39 litres daily.

Of the remaining quantity of milk, 130 litres are being supplied daily to SAI Hospital at Khuman Lampak as diet supplement for the sportspersons and 85 litres daily to Sainik School for the students.

With the main objective of increasing the milk production in the State, the Manipur Milk Producers' Co-operative Union Limited had been set up along with the co-operation of the Government and the Union has so far brought together 70 societies under its ambit.

As part of the aim of the Union to set up Milk Chilling Plants at different places, the Milk Chilling Plant at Oinam was inaugurated by MLA of Oinam Assembly Constituency Dr I Ibohalbi today.

As the duration of the Centrally sponsored scheme is till 2010, the Union is targeting to set up at least around 40 such chilling plants before the end of the programme.

For implementing the first phase of the programme a sum of Rs 1.60 crores had been sanctioned during 2006-07.The Chilling Plants which have been set up so far and that would come up in future would encourage the people to store their milk produce at these plants so that the same can be again transported and stored at the Central Plant for distribution among the people.

It is said that in case, all the quantity of the milks collected from different chilling plants can be brought and stored at the Central Plant, the problem of shortage of milk in the State would be solved to some extend.

Organised jointly by the Manipur Milk Producers' Co-operative Union Limited, Porompat and the Joint Selungkhong Pisciculture cum Livestock Rearing Co-operative Society Limited, Oinam, the inaugural function of the Milk Chilling Plant at Oinam was attended by the Union chairman Dhananjoy Ningomba and the Society chairman Oinam Ranjit Singh as functional president and guest of honour respectively.

Giving the key note address of the function, Managing Director of Manipur Milk Producers' Co-operative Union Limited S Shanti-kumar pointed out the need for increasing the number of societies under the Union from its present 70 to 100.This would help in collection and storing of more quantity of milk at the Central Plant, he said.

The total amount of fund to be provided under the Incentive Dairy Development Programme is Rs 10.23 crores and out of this, a sum of Rs 1.60 crores has already been released for the first phase of the programme which include not just setting up milk chilling plants but also other related components.

The target of the programme is production of 8,000 litres of milk every day, he said.

Director of Fisheries Department, officials of Veterinary Department and many other individuals were also present at the occasion.

Comment