In a bid to enhance sales, Sarhad Dairy, run by Kutch District Milk Co-operative Union Limited, is planning to trade milk through vending machines in the region.
Initially, Sarhad Dairy will install 15 milk vending machines across Kutch region, for which the dairy has demanded some space from municipality and waiting for response.
"After having seen a milk vending machine in Delhi in some exhibition last year, board of our dairy has decided to install this kind of facility in Kutch area. Currently we collect raw milk and supply to the Amul plant at Gandhinagar," said Valamji Humbal, chairman, Sarhad Dairy, Kutch.
Moreover, the milk to be traded in vending machine will be cheaper than the market rates as the board has decided to do business on a 'no profit no loss' basis. Hence, Sarhad Dairy will charge only for milk cost and transportation.
Further, Sarhad Dairy will install milk vending machines in Bhuj, Gandhidham and Anjar on trial basis, with each vending machine having capacity of 500 litres of milk. The dairy will invest about Rs 1.50 crore for milk vending machine. "To install the vending machines, we have demanded space from the municipality. While we have not received any response from them yet but we are aiming to start this project as soon as possible," said Humbal.
Since its inception in January 2010, Sarhad Dairy has been collecting 150,000 litres raw milk from about 400 villages of Kutch district, which the dairy supplies to the Amul plant in Gandhinagar.
"We have also planned to start our own processing plant in Kutch for which we have acquired land at Anjar. We are aiming to double our milk collection from current 150,000 litres to 300,000 litres per day by end of 2013," said Humbal.
Meanwhile, Sarhad Dairy has also planned to start its own brand of milk post commissioning of the milk processing plant.
