In a virtual ceremony, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin inaugurated a new warehouse at the existing Dairy-cum-Powder Plant (DCPP) in Ammapalayam village near Chengam town, Tiruvannamalai. The newly constructed facility, covering 18,400 sq.ft and built at a cost of ₹29.32 crore, has been funded jointly by the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation. The warehouse aims to augment storage capacity by accommodating an additional 1,500 tonnes of Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP).
The DCPP plant, established in November 2014 with support from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), currently handles two lakh litres of milk per day (LLPD) and produces 20 tonnes of SMP daily. It also manufactures 100 tonnes of ghee daily. The plant already has the capability to store 500 tonnes of butter and 1,500 tonnes of SMP.
The primary objective of the dairy plant is to manage surplus milk by converting it into butter and SMP, thereby extending the shelf life of milk products. The new warehouse facility enhances the plant’s overall storage capacity to 3,000 tonnes of SMP. This initiative is expected to benefit over 15 lakh milk producers across 27 districts who supply milk to Aavin, the popular brand of TNCMPF, for the DCPP plant.
U. Mani, Deputy General Manager in charge at DCPP, highlighted the importance of the additional storage capacity during emergencies, such as floods, ensuring easy distribution of SMP to affected families in the state. The Tiruvannamalai facility marks the fifth of its kind in the state, following similar storage facilities in Erode, Madurai, Krishnagiri, and Salem.
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly K. Pitchandi, Tiruvannamalai Collector B. Murugesh, C.N. Annadurai, MP (Tiruvannamalai), and M. P. Giri, MLA (Chengam). This expansion is a strategic step towards fortifying the state’s dairy infrastructure and addressing the storage needs for dairy products, especially during challenging situations.