Kerala plans to bring cattle feed raw material through rail: Minister

Facilitation centre of Kerala Feeds opened to update farmers on latest trends in milk manufacturing

The Kerala Government has reached an agreement with the Centre to use special trains that will bring raw materials for making cattle feed to the State, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister J Chinchu Rani has said.

The administration has completed talks with the Railway Ministry to get fare concession as part of the plan that will make cattle feed affordable to farmers, she said, after inaugurating a facilitation centre (FACE) of Kerala Feeds Ltd, which will update the farmers with latest trends and scientific practices in milk production.

“Our move comes ahead of the launch of microchips that store the complete data of the health of cows under the E-Samridh programme which we are starting in Pathanamthitta on an experimental basis,” Chinchu Rani said at the function where Higher Education Minister R. Bindu unveiled an updated version of the KFL website carrying details of the company’s latest products.

Chinchu Rani said the government is considering setting up ways for mass manufacture of feeds for pet animals and birds.

Earlier, Minister Bindu called upon the company to initiate production of feed for pet animals and birds, noting that they are gaining popularity across the State.

KFL Chairman K. Sreekumar noted that the company has emerged back as profit-making despite a continuing scarcity of raw materials and constraints on a PSU to raise the prices of its products on par with competitors in the private sector.

Broiler chicken feed

The PSU’s Managing Director B. Sreekumar said KFL is all set to bring out a feed for broiler chicken. The new product will be distributed through Kudumbashree volunteers.

The facilitation centre has come up in the premises of KFL’s plant at the headquarters in Kallettumkara in Thrissur. The function saw the launch of three products: chick mash for chicken up to two-months-old, milk booster that gives energy to milch cows and increase the quality of their milk, and 20-kg calf starter as a comprehensive feed for young calves.

The KFL, founded in 1995, has a range of products that cater to different breeds of cows, ensuring good health besides better productivity and quality of milk.