In a landmark announcement, Balachandra Jarkiholi, MLA and president of the Belagavi District Cooperative Milk Producers Union, revealed on Thursday that the union will soon roll out a comprehensive insurance scheme for the families of all its active milk producers across the district.
Speaking at a recent union meeting in Belagavi, Jarkiholi detailed the initiative, explaining that each milk-producing farmer’s family would receive an insurance cover of ₹1 lakh. This crucial sum would be paid to their next of kin in the unfortunate event of the farmer’s death. This impactful program is expected to benefit approximately 35,000 farmers and will incur an estimated cost of ₹50 lakh to ₹60 lakh for the union.
The union’s strong financial health makes such initiatives possible. Last year, it proudly reported a profit of ₹13 crore. A substantial ₹10 crore from these earnings was invested directly back into the farming community through equipment distribution, while another ₹2 crore was dedicated to enhancing vital infrastructure, including new buildings. Currently, the district collects an impressive two lakh liters of milk daily from 609 cooperative societies. The union has ambitious plans to boost this collection to three lakh liters and elevate its annual transaction volume beyond ₹500 crore, ensuring farmers receive payments promptly within 10 days of procurement.
“Our vision is to position our union as the undisputed leader in northern Karnataka,” Jarkiholi stated passionately. “We are already outpacing private dairies in milk sales, driven by a surging demand for buffalo milk not just within the state, but from bustling metropolises like Mumbai and Pune. We are committed to meeting this growing demand head-on.”
To support this growth, the union is actively working to expand its milk storage capacity from the current 2-3 lakh liters to an impressive 3-5 lakh liters. They are also actively seeking expert advice from the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) for the development of a state-of-the-art mega dairy. Furthermore, the current year will see the establishment of over 100 new franchises and sales centers, building on the success of 33 outlets launched recently to commemorate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday.
The president concluded with a bold declaration: “The union aims to achieve sales of 1.5 lakh liters of packaged milk and 15,000 kg of yogurt, including UHT products, within the same timeframe. My resolve is to transform the Belagavi District Milk Union into a beacon of success for the entire State over the next three years, ensuring we stand economically on par with even the most established milk unions in South Karnataka.”