Thiruvananthapuram: Milma’s Thiruvananthapuram Regional Co-operative Milk Producers Union (TRCMPU) has decided to provide Rs 5 crore as a summer incentive for farmers and milk cooperative societies.Animal husbandry and dairy development minister J Chinchu Rani announced the summer incentive scheme during the launch of TRCMPU’s new farmer welfare project, ‘Sahayahastham’, for dairy farmers at a function at Chadayamangalam block panchayat hall on Saturday. The farmers affiliated to milk societies under TRCMPU in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts will benefit from the scheme. TRCMPU chairperson Mani Viswanath presided over the function, while director board member Vasudevan Unni delivered the welcome address. Selected members of the Anand Model societies under TRCMPU will be given Rs 1,000 per month under this new project. A total of 4,000 farmers selected based on merit criteria will benefit from this project. An amount of Rs 2.4 crore was earmarked for the new project, the minister said. The scheme will ensure fixed income for active members of milk societies, while encouraging all farmers and people who are interested in dairy farming, said the minister. In the current financial year, an amount of Rs 20 crore was distributed among farmers and societies as additional incentives, while another Rs 15 crore was given out as cattle feed subsidy and other welfare schemes to date, said Viswanath. Milk societies under TRCMPU will be given an additional sum of Rs 6 on each litre of milk procured in Feb. Of this, Rs 4 will go to the farmers, Rs 1 for the milk societies and Rs 1 will be deposited as an additional share of the societies, Viswanath added.
