THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 25 June 2025: In a significant step toward sustainable retail and public sector collaboration, the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma) has unveiled 30 specially-designed electric ice cream vending carts, branded as ‘Milma Mili Cart’, in partnership with Kerala Automobiles Limited (KAL).
The e-vehicles were flagged off today by Minister for Industries, Law and Coir, P. Rajeeve at a ceremony held at the KAL plant in Aralummoodu near Neyyattinkara. Rajeeve handed over the keys of the carts to Milma Chairman K.S. Mani, officially launching the fleet.
Of the 30 carts, ten each will be distributed among Milma’s three regional unions: Trivandrum Regional Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union (TRCMPU), Ernakulam Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (ERCMPU), and Malabar Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (MRCMPU).
Commending Milma’s collaboration with KAL, Rajeeve stated that an additional 70 carts may be ordered depending on the performance of the initial fleet. “The government is committed to revitalizing public sector undertakings (PSUs), ensuring they are competitive and profitable. Since 2016, we have invested INR 58 crore in KAL, including INR 11.5 crore this year,” he said, highlighting that PSU turnover in the state crossed INR 5,000 crore for the first time this year.
In his keynote address, Mani emphasized Milma’s dedication to supporting dairy farmers, revealing that 98.5% of the cooperative’s net profit last year—around INR 253 crore—was returned to farmers as cattle feed subsidies and milk procurement incentives. “Our goal is to make the dairy sector sustainable and attractive to new entrants,” he noted.
Mani also announced an upcoming initiative aimed at empowering women by deploying 941 women to sell Milma products door-to-door across Kerala’s panchayats.
Presiding over the event, Ansalan MLA praised the initiative as a model for eco-friendly retail powered by public sector manufacturing. Milma MD Asif K Yusuf, KAL Chairman Pulluvila Stanley, and several other dignitaries attended the launch ceremony.
The Mili Carts, developed by KAL, are part of Milma’s larger effort to expand its reach while promoting sustainability and self-reliance through PSU collaboration.
