Govt's Sundarini Naturals initiative guns for product diversification

Kolkata: Sunderban Cooperative Milk and Livestock Producers' Limited (SCMLPL), an initiative of State Animal Resources Development department, offering packaged milk and a plethora of milk products under the brand name Sundarini Naturals is going for massive product diversification.

The move was prompted soon after National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) awarded Sundarini for its superior quality of dairy products at a function held in Gujarat on the occasion of World Milk Day on June 1.

It may be mentioned that Sundarini, a brainchild of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was rolled out to empower the women of the Sunderbans in the year of 2015. It started with packaged milk and now its products include ghee, honey, rice, sona moong dal, eggs and paneer.

"Our natural products have been selected as model for the entire Eastern India. So, we are going for diversification of our products in a big way. We will introduce Rosogolla, Gulam Jamun and Kaju Barfi. Aromatic rice varieties like Harinakhuri, Govindabhog, Kalabhaat and Radhatilak will also be introduced. The farmers are already successfully cultivating these rice varieties. The trail run for the sweets in the district has begun," a senior official of SCMLPL said.

The Cooperative scores over others for its organic method adopted in every step right from milk collection, transportation to its diary plant and manufacturing of milk products.

There is no use of chemicals and the cows are not injected with antibiotics. They are fed corn, sargam, Ajola and Barshim grass.

Even these are produced in an organic manner. Milk is never poured into plastic containers. It is stored in steel containers so that the quality is not compromised. Afterwards, these milk cans are sent to the cooperative's dairy plant in Joynagar, where other products are made.

"We have already applied for the organic certification of milk and milk products in the central ministry of Commerce & Industry and are hopeful of getting it soon," the official added.

The cooperative presently has 3,500 all-women members and 65 co-operative societies, spanning across 65 villages at seven blocks in and around the Sunderbans. The women are directly reaping the benefits of this scheme as the government is directly depositing the money in the accounts of these women by selling their products directly to the customers through cooperatives.

Products of Sundarini are available at Haringhata Meat outlets based in Kolkata, SBI staff co-operative store on Strand Road, Samabayikas in the city and has recently been introduced at the Sufal Bangla outlets in Salt Lake, Nalban, Tollygunge and New Alipore.