Milma to target the health conscious

To raise production of its ‘Good Health’ brand drink

The Kerala State Milk Marketing Federation Milma has drawn up plans to double the production of its ‘Good Health’ brand milk drink from about 5,000 to 10,000 litres a day considering the good response in the market.

“Enquiries are even coming in from outside the State,” said federation Chairman P.A. Balan on Monday. He said the regional cooperative in Kozhikode too had launched products catering to the demand of health conscious consumers against the backdrop of the pandemic outbreak. The Malabar Region Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union had seen good response to its two products Golden Milk and Golden Milk Mix targeting health conscious consumers.

Dairy manager V.S. Murugan said the Good Health brand of milk drink had infusions of pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and tulasi. The product was launched from the Punnapra Central Product Dairy in Alappuzha.

“The Central Dairy now plans to launch a product for diabetics. There is now a plan to use the same infusions in butter milk so that those with sugar problems too can take advantage of the product,” Mr. Murugan said.

In the meanwhile, the Ernakulam Regional Cooperative Milk Producers Union has launched a sugar-free ice-cream keeping in mind the need for healthy eating in the time of COVID-19. Regional Chairman John Theruvath said it was expected to elicit good response in the market.

Milk production in the three regional cooperatives had been quite steady though there was a slowdown in demand because of the continuing restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

The Kozhikode region had seen an excess production while the Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram regions had been able to source milk from the north to meet their demand.

Mr. Balan said the milk cooperative’s operations had been strictly guided by the pandemic protocol. Farmers had been instructed to operate in tandem with the guidelines as part of the steps to contain the pandemic.