THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 3 August 2026: Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma) has rejected allegations of any lapse in its supply of ghee to the Sabarimala temple, maintaining that only premium-quality ghee meeting prescribed standards was dispatched in sealed containers after stringent quality checks.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Milma Chairman K.S. Mani said the federation had never compromised on the quality or purity of its products and that maintaining the highest food safety standards remained central to its operations.
Mr. Mani said the ghee supplied to Sabarimala was packed in fully sealed 15-kg tins, making any alteration or tampering during transit impossible. He added that all Milma dairies follow uniform quality protocols in the manufacture of ghee and other dairy products.
According to the federation, the sealed consignments were received by officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board at the Sabarimala godown. Any handling or use of the ghee after delivery was beyond Milma's control.
Milma also said it had not received any official communication from the Devaswom Board regarding concerns over the quality of the supplied ghee. The federation confirmed that it had received full payment for the consignment.
Mr. Mani said that if Milma's ghee had been replaced with any spurious or substandard product after delivery, it would constitute a serious offence. He called for those responsible to be identified and prosecuted under civil and criminal law.
Referring to media reports, he said the Travancore Devaswom Board currently has sufficient quantities of ghee received from devotees for temple rituals and therefore does not require additional procurement at present.
Reiterating Milma's commitment to dairy farmers, Mr. Mani said the cooperative's procurement, production and distribution systems are transparent and subject to strict quality controls. He added that the federation would continue supporting dairy farmers through welfare initiatives while contributing to Kerala's goal of dairy self-reliance.
Milma Managing Director Asif K. Yusuf was also present at the press conference.
