Verka registers 15 per cent growth in procurement, processing

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 16

Undeterred by the fierce competition with popular brand Amul, milk plant at Verka, run by cooperative agency Milkfed, has registered 15 per cent growth in procurement and processing. Amul had launched its operations in the state in November 2014.

Buoyed by the success, officials of the Verka milk plant launched sweet ‘lassi’ (butter milk) in 200 ml packet available at Rs 5 and double toned milk with three per cent fat in 250 ml packet available at Rs 10 and 500 ml at Rs 19, respectively, in the market here today.

The newly elected 13-member board of directors of Milkfed, was present at the launch of new products. They said the healthy drink would hit the market share of aerated cola drinks.

One of the directors, Yadwinder Singh, said despite competition the Verka Milk plant managed to sustain its market share.

From a humble beginning with a capacity of processing and treating just 60,000 litres milk a day on March 23, 1963, its capacity has now reached nearly 1.50 lakh litres per day.

Verka milk plant general manager Harminder Singh Sandhu said in order to keep pace with new challenges being posed by globalisation and market competition the unit was coming up with new products regularly. Last year salted butter milk in small packets was launched, which became a hit with public, he added.

He said the cooperative agency was paying Rs 540 for per kg fat to dairy farmers, for which they earlier used to get Rs 530. The price of fat was increased by Rs 10 on June 1 this year. He added that prices of various Verka products had not been increased this summer.

The brand name Verka got associated with dairy products manufactured by the cooperative sector after the first milk plant was set up in the state at Verka, a suburb of Amritsar.

The milk plant at Verka was a brain child of former Chief Minister Partap Singh Kairon. Verka also holds the distinction of being the first milk plant to be set up in north India. It is the second milk plant to be set up in the country after the first one came up at Anand in Gujarat.

Newly elected directors for Milkfed, a cooperative agency, which runs Verks milk plant are Yadwinder Singh, Ajaib Singh, Rattan Singh, Narinder Singh, Joginder Singh, Navdeep Singh, Milkha Singh, Chanchal Singh, Balbir Singh, Harjit Singh, Palwinder Singh, Gurbinderbir Singh and Daljit Singh.