Kerala CM launches ‘Repositioning Milma 2023’ initiative

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday launched an ambitious rebranding initiative of the cooperative dairy major Milma focusing on an image makeover of the brand.

The rebranding envisages bringing uniformity in packaging, design and product quality to meet the challenges from domestic and global competitors while reinforcing its position as the market leader.

Rolling out the ‘Repositioning Milma 2023’ project, drawn up by Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF) that is known by the brand Milma, the Chief Minister told the dairy major to give due attention to product diversification and expansion of marketing network as part of the rebranding exercise to meet the demands of the time.

The brand Milma has a pre-eminent position in the lives of Keralites, he said.

“There will hardly be any Malayali who does not consume one or the other product of Milma in daily life. Milma enjoys immense credibility. Based on this firm trust, you should strive to present Milma’s products to meet the demands of our time,” Vijayan said.

The government has been making effective interventions in the dairy sector considering the nutritional value of milk and the livelihood its production provides to a large section of people, he said.

These initiatives were aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in milk production while ensuring remunerative prices for farmers, he said. When the price of milk was revised recently, it was assured that 85 per cent of the revenue accruing from the hike went to farmers, the Chief Minister added.

When the government returned to power in 2021, as many as 22 schemes were drawn up for the growth of the animal husbandry sector, majority of which were for the development of the dairy sector, he said.

Apart from direct government projects, various schemes worth Rs 130 crore are being implemented through the local bodies. The cooperative sector also contributes immensely to the growth of the sector, he said.

Starting with the participation of 45,000 farmers and a daily procurement of 52,000 litres of milk, Milma has grown over the years into a big institution having 10 lakh farmers affiliated to it and the milk procurement touching an average 14 lakh litres per day, he noted.

“Last year, Kerala registered a growth of 12 per cent in milk production while the national rate was only six per cent,” he added.

Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development J Chinchurani, who presided over the function, said the ‘Repositioning Milma 2023’ project aims to firm up Milma’s position as the market leader and equip it to meet challenges from the domestic and global dairy brands.

“The deficit in milk production at the national level has also affected Kerala. The government and Milma are implementing various projects to increase milk production in the state,” she added.

As part of the initiative, Transport Minister Antony Raju unveiled a short video featuring the mascot ‘Milma Girl’ and also lauded Milma’s efforts to maintain global standards in its products.

In his welcome address, Milma Chairman K S Mani said as the next step, the brand will make all efforts to increase milk production in the state through the various projects envisaged by the government.

National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Chairman Meenesh C Shah, who addressed the function through videoconferencing, appreciated Milma’s initiative and extended all the support of NDDB.

As the first step of the rebranding process, uniformity will be followed in the quality, design and production of the liquid milk, curd, set curd, flavoured milk and ghee sold in the market by Milma and its regional milk unions.

Conceived with the financial and technical assistance of NDDB, ‘Repositioning Milma 2023’ envisages a holistic change and uniformity in packaging, design, quality of the dairy products and price to compete with other brands.

The project also aims at extending the marketing network of Milma, ensuring the availability of all dairy products of Milma in remote areas across the state.

Through this long-term plan, there will be a notable change in main functional areas like production, quality and marketing of the federation and regional milk unions, a statement added.