Tamil Nadu-based Company Issued notice by the nation’s food safety regulator for supposedly selling low grade ghee to the tirumala tirupati devasthanam. Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu announced Special Investigation Team to probe the case.
Tirupati Laddu Row: A major controversy has erupted over charges of adulteration of animal fat and other substances used in the world-famous laddus (prasadam) of the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh. The lab report proved the scandal wherein the state government headed by Chandrababu Naidu went public with the findings. In retaliation, the government has changed the company supplying ghee for the laddus and reportedly blacklisted the supplier. As the report states, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams will now source ghee from the ‘Nandini’ brand for preparing laddus, and an order for supplies has also been placed with the company.
Just as brands like Amul or Mother Dairy are well known in North Indian households, ‘Nandini’ is its counterpart in South Indian households. ‘Nandini’ is the biggest dairy brand in Karnataka and has a greater presence in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Goa. The Nandini brand belongs to Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited, the second-largest dairy cooperative federation in India, after Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) which produces Amul.
How KMF And Nandini Started?
The first cooperative dairy of Karnataka was formed in the district Kodagu in the year 1955. Packaged milk was not as common those days, and farmers used to supply their milk directly to the doorstep. In the 1970s, with the initiative taken to augment the production of milk, the ‘White Revolution’ emerged in India. It was at this stage when the World Bank formulated several schemes for dairy development.
The Birth Of ‘Nandini’: The Dairy Revolution
In 1974, it constituted Karnataka Dairy Development Corporation (KDCC) to implement dairy projects undertaken by the World Bank in the state. Ten years later, the company was named Karnataka Milk Federation in the year 1984. It was then that the company initiated ‘Nandini’ milk and other products, which soon became Karnataka’s leading dairy brand and extended the trade to neighboring states.
Also read: Amid Tirupati Laddu Row, Prayagraj Temples Ask Devotees To Offer Coconut, Fruits Instead Of Sweets
Why Nandini And Amul Are Competitors?
It should be noted here that Amul and Nandini have a direct competitor. Last year, when ever Amul decided to enter Karnataka’s retail market it created a huge furore. Political parties in Karnataka accused Amul of ” North Indian infiltration into the South”. The Amul Vs Nandini debate even became a key issue in the Karnataka Assembly elections. There has always been an ‘unwritten agreement’ between cooperative societies not to enter each other’s markets unless the local supplier is unable to meet demand, Karnataka Milk Federation claimed.
