Residents of Gelephu welcomed the first-ever ice cream plant in the district, recently. The plant not only produces fresh ice cream to beat the heat but also serves as a market for the surplus milk of the livestock rearing farmers group in the gewog.
There is enough and more fodder for cattle, especially at this time of the year. Enough fodder means abundant milk. And the abundance is overwhelming the farmers’ group, Gelephu Om Deteshen. The group can’t take in all the supply leaving the farmers without a market.
But along came the ice cream plant absorbing the surplus milk left with the farmers.
“The group takes milk for only morning hours. What we get in the evening has no market and it goes to waste. But now the Ice Cream Manufacturing Unit has come to our rescue for our surplus milk,” said Pavitra Nepal, from Pelrithang Khamaed in Gelephu Gewog of Sarpang.
“In the past, sometimes they used to return our milk and at that time there was no Ice cream manufacturing Unit. The rate of milk was very less and was not revised. Now with the revision of feed price, they also have revised the milk price,” added Nirmaya Katel, from the same village.
Aa-POW Ice Cream Plant, as the name suggests, is a pleasant surprise for the farmers. The plant currently has the capacity to take in 60 litres of milk per day. It also has plans for expansion.
However, the plant has temporarily stopped production. It ran out of packaging materials. Today they are waiting for the materials from India to resume production.
“We have already ordered and they said that it would take a few days to manufacture packaging materials for the first time. We are just waiting and will receive it within this week,” said Devicharan Koirala, the person Incharge of the ice cream plant.
The 13.2 million ngultrum plant is located along the Gelephu-Trongsa highway at Shetikhari. Farmers are hoping for the plant to resume production as it is the peak season for the cattle to have enough fodder which translates to more milk.
Karma Wangdi, Gelephu
Edited by Sonam
