OMFED to set up 3 new dairy plants, launch chocolate & packaged drinking water

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation (OMFED) has decided to expand its product offering with the launch of chocolate and packaged drinking water soon. While OMFED parlours will be set up in panchayats, three more dairy plants will be opened in Sambalpur, Berhampur and Balasore, Fisheries & Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallick informed on Friday after a review meeting.

“Our focus is on ensuring quality of OMFED products, procurement of milk from farmers and upgrading the plants with the installation of CCTVs. DPR for the three new diary plants is being prepared,” he said.

The minister also informed that OMFED is set to implement the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system, which will ensure that payments for milk supplied by dairy farmers at panchayat-level milk collection centres are directly credited to their bank accounts.

On Shree Jagannath Temple Trust’s letter on procuring OMFED ghee, Mallick said that the shrine requires around 4 tonnes/day of ghee and it will supplied at a subsidised rate. “The production capacity of each OMFED unit is around 8 tonnes per day and we can supply ghee to all temples for daily affairs and other requirements in the state,” he said.

He further informed that OMFED has recovered approximately Rs 82 lakh from outstanding dues of Rs 2 crore. “Defaulters will face action if they fail to clear their dues within seven days,” the minister added.