Union Minister of State for Dairy Development L. Murugan has said that the Centre’s policies will help dairy farmers double their income. He was laying the foundation stone for the 2MW solar plant at the headquarters of the Ernakulam Region Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (ERCMPU) here on Tuesday. The Centre has sanctioned ₹11.50 crore for the plant under the programme for improving infrastructure for milk procurement, said a communication from ERCMPU.
When completed, the Ernakulam dairy will be the first such facility in the country to be run fully on solar energy. The plant will produce 28 lakh units of electricity a year. The Minister also said that the Ernakulam dairy should become a model for other dairy plants in the country.
Industries Minister P. Rajeeve congratulated the dairy cooperative for the innovative step in keeping with the policies of the State government. A bust of India’s Milkman Verghese Kurien was also unveiled on the premises of the dairy cooperative’s regional headquarters at Edappally by Minister for Dairy Development J. Chinchu Rani. She said the Union government had promised all help to include raw materials for cattle feed making in the Kisan Rail facility.
