KS Mani-Chairman of Milma Elected to the NCDFI Board

KS Mani, Chairman of Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, popularly known as Milma, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI), the country's apex body of dairy and edible oil cooperatives.

The election was announced at a special general body meeting of the NCDFI on Thursday in Anand, Gujarat. The NCDFI board is made up of representatives from federal cooperatives from all states and union territories, and its mission is to coordinate, network, and advocate on behalf of the country's dairy sector.

NCDFI Board

NCDFI, founded in 1970 as a subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board, works primarily to promote the dairy, oilseed, edible oil, and vanaspathy industries, as well as oilseed growers' cooperatives and affiliated organizations.

Its activities include coordinating the supply of milk and milk products to the Defense Services, operating an online marketplace for the dairy industry, and working to improve cattle genetics. 27 state milk federations, 223 district unions, 1.96 lakh village-level societies, and 173 lakh dairy farmers are affiliated with NCDFI.

NCDFI has primarily focused on the use of technology to improve the returns to dairy cooperatives and milk producers. Based on this, the NCDFI e-Market initiative was launched.

About Milma Chairman:

Mani was appointed Milma Chairman in July of last year, following the death of his predecessor, PA Balan Master. According to an official spokesman, Mani is an accomplished management expert and a veteran cooperator with decades of hands-on experience in the dairy sector. Mani also serves as the President of the Malabar Regional Cooperative Milk Producers Union.

His business acumen and empathy for dairy farmers had proven useful in guiding Milma through the challenges posed by the staggered pandemic, according to the spokesman. Mani's deep market insight drove the successful launch of a bouquet of value-added items, in addition to playing a key role in maintaining Milma's fresh milk and other dairy staples' market dominance.