Chandigarh, July 12 (IANS) Punjab-based milk products supplier Milkfed will supply its Verka brand desi ghee (clarified butter) worth Rs.200 million (Rs.20 crore) to Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) run gurdwaras (Sikh temples). The ghee is used for preparing “kada prasad” and “langar” served in community kitchens.
The SGPC has signed an agreement in this regard with the semi-government Milkfed, officials said Sunday.

“Milkfed has been supplying ghee to SGPC gurdwaras for the last two decades. The order last year (2008-09) was for Rs.12 crore (Rs.120 mn). The enhanced order is acknowledgement of our consistent quality,” Milkfed managing director V.K. Singh said.

Singh said that Verka ghee was very popular in Punjab and neighbouring states like Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that Milkfed products had captured substantial market share in countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Oman, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea and Malaysia.

Singh said that export of desi ghee to these countries during the year 2008-09 was worth Rs.160 million (Rs.16 crore), an increase of 20 per cent compared to the previous year. He added that despite global recession, Milkfed was set to increase its ghee export to Rs.180 million (Rs.18 crore) this year.