|
The Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma) on Monday clarified that there was no lapse in the supply of ghee to Sabarimala and asserted that only premium-quality ghee meeting all prescribed standards was supplied.
Milma Chairman K S Mani said the ghee dispatched to Sabarimala underwent stringent quality checks and maintained that the federation has never compromised on the quality or purity of its products. Addressing a press conference here, Mani said Milma, the dairy cooperative of Kerala's farmers, manufactures ghee and other dairy products using advanced technology while adhering to strict quality and food safety standards. Milma Managing Director Asif K Yusuf was also present at the press conference. "The ghee supplied to Sabarimala was packed in fully sealed 15 kg tins, making any alteration or tampering during transit impossible. All Milma dairies follow the same stringent quality protocols," the chairman said. He said the sealed consignments were received at the Sabarimala godown by the concerned officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board, after which the handling and use of the ghee was outside Milma's control. Mani further said that Milma has not received any official communication from the Devaswom authorities regarding any issue with the quality of the ghee supplied to Sabarimala. He also confirmed that the federation received full payment for the supplied ghee. "If Milma ghee were replaced with any spurious or substandard product after delivery, it would amount to a serious offence. Those responsible must be identified and prosecuted under both civil and criminal law," the chairman said. Citing media reports, Mani said the Travancore Devaswom Board currently has sufficient quantities of ghee received from devotees on a daily basis to meet its requirements and, therefore, does not need to procure additional ghee from outside at present. He reiterated that consumer trust and the welfare of dairy farmers remain central to Milma's operations, adding that its procurement, production and distribution processes are transparent and subject to strict quality controls. The chairman also said that the federation remains committed to supporting dairy farmers through welfare initiatives aimed at generating sustainable livelihoods, strengthening Kerala's dairy sector and advancing the state's goal of dairy self-reliance. (ANI)
|
