KARACHI, March 23: The Karachi Milk Plant (KMP), which was made operational after an investment of Rs40 million, has again stopped pasteurization of milk for marketing, leaving high and dry whatever consumers were attracted and made used to its processed milk taste.
The KMP was revived in Dec 2004 after remaining shut for 24 years since 1980 in collaboration with the Idara-i-Kisan, Lahore (IKL). It started marketing processed milk by the name of ‘Buffalo Fresh Milk’.
Although no publicity campaign was launched, the product was slowly and gradually making its place amid tough competition from other brands of milk available in tetra pack.
A sudden halt of its supplies in the market created apprehensions that the land mafia had its eyes on the prime land and did not like seeing it operational, and to convince the government to privatise the KMP to avoid recurring losses.
Sources in the KMP told Dawn that the project could not be made operational before Dec 2004 despite the fact that a joint venture agreement was signed with the IKL in April 2002.
This inordinate delay in its operation was stated to be due to those with vested interests, who were keen to see it disposed of as a failed project. But, due to government pressure, which had invested Rs40 million, an agreement with the Engro Pakistan and the IKL was signed to run it on experimental basis for 90 days.
After a successful operation for 90 days, the officials concerned did not feel the need to enter into a re-contract with Engro, or ensure raw milk supply to the plant on its own, which had a capacity of pasteurisation of 75,000 litres of milk daily.
After an agreement made by the IKL with Engro Pakistan, approximately 30,000 litres of raw milk was being processed and packed at KMP for marketing.
Sources said that officials responsible for its marketing had failed to set up shops for KMP’s processed milk and publicise the shops where the milk was already available and sold.
Even then, its quality control had started developing a taste of its own among consumers and its demand was increasing before its supply was halted at a time when the city district government and milk sellers were engaged in a tussle over the price of milk.
During the period when the KMP was operational, procurement of milk and its supply at the plant was the responsibility of the Livestock and Fisheries Department. Its veterinary officers for want of incentives failed to maintain milk procurement and quantity of its supply on a regular basis, affecting its consumers.
It may be recalled that the Sindh government had earlier decided to neither lease out the Karachi Milk Plant nor privatise it. It also rejected the move to shift the plant from its present location to Hyderabad or Badin.
The Idara-i-Kisan, the joint venture partner, was asked to develop infrastructure for the KMP to collect and transport milk as required under the agreement between the government and the IKL for ‘Indus Dairy Development Project’.
The project, which falls under the Livestock and Fisheries Department, aimed at providing hygienic milk to people in Karachi and market access to poor livestock raisers of remote areas.
According to a report, there are 10,397 registered members with the KMP. According to its break up, 2,147 are in Badin, 1,283 in Thatta, 1,421 in Sanghar, 4,121 in Mirpurkhas and 1,425 in Hyderabad. They have a total strength of 67,217 animals with a total capacity of milk production amounting to 0.205 million litres.
The members are willing to supply 0.153 million litres milk daily to the KMP while an NGO had also offered to supply 36,000 litres milk daily provided a proper collection system was adopted on the pattern adopted in Punjab by the IKL.
It was learnt that districts Thatta and Badin were selected as pilot districts for procuring milk for the project, but due to lack of interest IKL activities were only confined to District Thatta, where farmers had agreed to provide up to 3,000 litres of milk per day. However, they too withdrew following non-cooperation from the IKL.
The concerned staff in Thatta had also assured that if proper facilities were provided, milk supplies could be arranged from 10,000 to 12,000 litres daily within three months.
