Mangaluru :DKMUL incidentally received the second prize for national dairy excellence at an award function held at National Dairy Development Board at Anand in Gujarat on September 26, said union President Raviraj Hegde.

Speaking in a press conference he said, NDDB presents the award in 3 categories – for dairies with daily milk production up to 1 lakh litres, from 1-lakh to 5-lakh litres and above 5-lakh litres. DKMUL won the second place among all medium-sized dairies in India that handle 1-lakh to 5-lakh litres of milk.

NDDB also recognized feat of Sharada Madivalthi, member, Japthi Milk Producers Co-operative Society in Kundapur taluk for supplying highest quantity of quality milk to DKMUL at the awards function. “Sharada on an average supplies 125 to 150 litres of milk each day to the union against an average of 6 litres of milk that the 65000-odd active members of the union supply each day,” he said. The union on September 27 procured 4.17-lakh litres of milk from its members.

Five cooperative milk producers’ unions in Karnataka – Bengaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Kolar, Shivamogga and Hassan are all set to get ‘Milk Mark’ (see box) certifying the quality of products they supply to consumers.

CM Siddaramaiah in all likelihood will formally launch this mark next week to reaffirm the faith that consumers have reposed in milk and milk products packaged and sold by the 14 cooperative milk producers’ unions in the state

Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd (DKMUL)at present has 12 product ranges available in 48 stock keeping units (SKUs). “All these will now be eligible to sport the Milk Mark logo, he said .

The union has already taken steps to procure new packaging material that includes films in which milk is packed and dispensed to consumers through its chain of retail outlets in DK and Udupi.