Cooperative dept. sets up plant to produce whole wheat flour under the brand name Mullai
The Cooperative Department in Karur has established a wheat flour plant under the Mullai brand, following the success of its other products like cooking oil and organic ragi flour. Located at the Thonthoni Agricultural Cooperative Credit Society, the plant, costing ₹18 lakh, produces 60 tonnes of fine wheat flour monthly. The initiative, funded by various cooperative and government sources, aims to provide high-quality atta to consumers through 619 fair price shops in the district.
Close on the heels of high patronage to the cooking oil, organic ragi flour and neem cake marketed under the Mullai brand, the Cooperative Department has set up its own plant to produce wheat flour in Karur. The plant has come up on the premises of the Thonthoni Agricultural Cooperative Credit Society at an estimate of ₹18 lakh through the Karur District Consumer Cooperative Wholesale Store. It has an installed capacity of two tonnes a day. It can produce 60 tonnes of fine wheat flour a month.
The finished product is packed in colourfully decorated plastic bags and marketed under the brand of Mullai. A team of workers has been engaged for producing wheat atta. “We do not extract any by-product from wheat. We crush and grind whole wheat as is done in households.
We aim to produce high quality atta to serve the consumers well,” said P. Kandharaja, Joint Registrar of Cooperatives, Karur. The plant has been erected with the loan availed from the Tiruchi District Central Cooperative Bank. Of ₹18 lakh, the District Industries Centre will provide 36% subsidy and the Karur District Consumer Cooperative Wholesale Store has contributed 10% and the remaining 54% has been generated from the TDCCB.
Mr. Kandharaja said the whole wheat atta would be made available in all 619 fair price shops in Karur district under the brand of Mullai. It had been received well by the consumers because of its quality. In the next phase, the atta would be sold in departmental stores and private groceries. He said the wheat was procured by the Joint Purchase Committee.
The atta had become an instant hit as the Mullai brand enjoys good market because of supply of high-quality gingelly, groundnut and coconut oil, ragi flour and neem cake. It was said that the venture would be a big hit and the loan availed from the TDCCB would be repaid well in advance. M. Chandran, Managing Director, Karur District Consumer Cooperative Wholesale Store Ltd., said that producing consumer product with the installation of own plant by a cooperative was a novel attempt in Karur district. The company was registered as a micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) to avail loan with subsidy.
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