Sri Lankan minister seeks transfer of dairy technology

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, MAY 7. The Bangalore Milk Union's dairy in the City had a VIP visitor on Monday in the Sri Lankan Minister for Estate Infrastructure and Livestock Development, Mr. S.R.M.Arumugan Thondaman, who was shown around the dairy by the Minister for Animal Husbandry, Mr. A.Krishnappa.

While Mr. Krishnappa told presspersons that BAMUL products could be exported to the island nation, his Sri Lankan counterpart said if there was technology transfer, his country could become self- sufficient in milk products. The ongoing civil war need not come in the way of livestock development. His was a private visit and Mr. Krishnappa had persuaded him to visit the dairy which was considered to be an Asian model, he added.

The Bangalore Dairy was set up as a joint venture of the State and Union governments with UNICEF aid, and was dedicated to the people of the City by the former Prime Minister, the late Lal Bahadur Sastri, in 1965. Spread over an area of 50 acres at the junction of Bannerghatta and Hosur roads, the dairy began functioning with an initial capacity of 50,000 litres of milk per day. It now processes 3.5 lakh litres of milk a day under the Operation Flood-3 programme.

Under the directions of the National Dairy Development Board, the Bangalore Dairy was transferred to the Bangalore Milk Union in 1988. It is today the biggest in southern India, procuring, processing and marketing up to 5.94 lakh litres of milk a day in the peak season. The National Productivity Council, Government of India, conferred the Best Productivity Award last year on the Bangalore Dairy.

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