Alappuzha: Kerala has set for itself the goal of exporting milk powder and dairy products to other states and countries. Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister J Chinchu Rani has outlined the blueprint for the ambitious project conceived by the State Government by making use of the excess milk that the state is producing now.

Inaugurating a dairy farmers' meeting at the Choonad Ambadi Auditorium here, the minister said the State Government is set to start a milk powder factory at a cost of Rs 100 crore in Malappuram in association with Milma and using the Government grant to achieve the export goal.

The Government aimed to make the state self-sufficient in milk production, and using Milma, the state has already been able to increase production up to 90%, she said.

A comprehensive insurance scheme will be introduced for cows using 60% Central Government funds and 40% State Government funds. “Kerala has 13 lakh cows. The State Government is considering giving subsidies for cattle feed. The State Animal Husbandry Department is preparing a project to provide interest-free loans for buying cows. The Government will give 95% subsidy for the poorest of the poor in the state to rear cows,” the minister said.

The State Government was lifting the living standards of milk farmers through ‘Ksheeratheeram’ and ‘Ksheeralayam’ projects. Also, Kerala is producing more hybrid cows by using modern technology, Chinchu Rani pointed out. At the outset of the government’s tenure, it had raised the price of milk by Rs 6 per litre after identifying that the cost of milk production had increased.

Kodikkunnil Suresh MP and M S Arun Kumar MLA also spoke on the occasion.