Date:18/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/18/stories/2005051804630500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Singapore firm plumps for Vijaya milk

Staff Reporter

UHT milk's shelf life of 120 days clinches the issue

VIJAYAWADA: A Singapore-based company has come forward to import a minimum of three lakh litres of Vijaya ultra high temperature (UHT) milk and milk products per annum. The aseptically packed UHT milk has a shelf life of 120 days (four months).

The Straits Force director, K. Muthappan, told newspersons here on Tuesday that his firm had entered into an agreement with the Krishna District Milk Producers' Mutually Aided Cooperative Union to export UHT milk to Singapore, Malaysia and other countries.

Milk union's deal

His firm wanted to launch the entire range of Vijaya UHT products in Singapore to begin with. He said his firm selected the Krishna Milk Producers' Union as Amul (Gujarat) and Aavin (Tamil Nadu) that had already entered Singapore and Malaysia markets did not offer the range of UHT milk products being offered by the Krishna Milk Union.

Once the sale picked up, Mr. Muthappan said that milk union could export up to one million litres of UHT products per annum.

He said Indians in Singapore and Malaysia were the biggest consumers of milk and milk products. They were till recently consuming dairy products being imported from Australia and New Zealand.