Vellore Aavin to reintroduce sachets with lesser fat milk at existing price
The agents were told about the reintroduction of green and orange-coloured milk sachets with reduced fat under different names but at the same price to meet the financial needs.
Milk card with Delite stamped on it in Vellore
VELLORE: Agents attached to the Vellore District Cooperative Milk Producers Union (Vellore Aavin) are in a ferment following the General Manager calling for a meeting of selected agents to inform them of certain changes in the quality of milk.
The agents were told about the reintroduction of green and orange-coloured milk sachets with reduced fat under different names but at the same price to meet the financial needs of the cash-strapped facility, sources said.
In a letter to Chief Minister MK Stalin, TN milk agents and employees welfare association president SA Ponnusamy said that the Vellore facility planned to rename the present green-coloured standardised milk sachet containing 4.5% fat as Aavin Delite with a reduction of 1% fat content.
Similarly, it was also planned to reduce the fat content by 1% in the present orange-coloured full cream milk which has 6% fat and rename it Aavin Gold, Ponnusamy said in the petition.
“Toned milk which has 3% fat has not been touched,” sources said.
Association vice president VM Sankar said, “I attended the meeting with the Vellore Aavin GM Sambamoorthy where only a few agents – especially those who would not oppose the move – were invited. He informed us that this was necessary to get the dairy out of the doldrums.”
“Though the change is to be effective from October 16 when the present milk cards expire most agents are in the dark about this,” Sankar added.
Industry sources revealed that a reduction of 1% fat in milk would lead to the dairy saving Rs 7 per litre. Ponnusamy said that Vellore Dairy presently manufactured 12,026 litres of toned milk, 80,383 litres of standardised milk and 8,061 litres of full cream milk daily.
Vellore district consumer federation president K Sathiyamoorthy said, “The Vellore dairy reducing fat content and selling it at the same rate under different names without prior information to the public amounts to sheer exploitation.”
TN Cooperative Milk Producers Federation MD Dr S Vineeth and Vellore Aavin GM Sambamoorthy could not be reached for comment.