Sabarimala temple board in talks with dairy cooperative over ghee shortage

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, is in discussions with the Milma Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cooperative Milk Producers' Union to address a critical shortfall in ghee supplies. The temple administration had issued a tender seeking 50,000 litres of ghee but received no qualifying bids from eligible suppliers, creating an urgent gap in inventory needed for ritual and daily operations at the pilgrimage site.

The TDB's turn to Milma, a state-run dairy cooperative with significant production capacity, underscores the challenges in procuring large quantities of ghee that meet the stringent quality and purity standards required for temple use. Officials are exploring whether the cooperative can fulfill the supply requirements within the temple's specifications and procurement framework.

Ghee procurement has emerged as a recurring challenge for major religious institutions across South India, driven by fluctuating costs, supply chain constraints, and the difficulty of sourcing products meeting ceremonial standards. The outcome of these negotiations is expected to determine whether Sabarimala can maintain its ghee stockpiles through the coming pilgrimage season.