In a significant development, the Tirupati Tirumala Trust (TTD) has decided to go without the Nandini ghee as the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) did not participate in the bidding process to procure ghee for its renowned GI-tagged Tirupati laddus.
Bhima Nayak, the President of KMF, revealed on Sunday in Ballari that TTD did not agree with the price hike by KMF and has opted to source ghee from another company, without giving details that KMF did not participate this time, when the BJP was in power. Despite TTD's repeated claims that the laddus' exquisite taste is owed to the quality of KMF ghee, the association between the two entities has now come to an end, he said.
"We proposed a higher price for ghee due to the upcoming increase in milk procurement costs from August 1. However, TTD conveyed through the e-procurement site that they have selected a different company with the lowest quoted price. KMF ghee has garnered an international reputation for its exceptional quality. Companies offering low bids might compromise on quality. Yet, it is evident that Nandini ghee plays a significant role in enhancing the laddus' taste," stated Nayak.
The Karnataka cabinet recently approved KMF's proposal to raise the selling prices of its Nandini milk by Rs 3 per litre, effective from August 1. Notably, for nearly five decades, Nandini ghee had been used in the preparation of Tirupati Laddu, along with other brands.
Nayak clarified that the supply of ghee to TTD had been halted for over a year and is not a recent development, in response to BJP's attempts to criticize the Karnataka government on the issue, dubbing it as "anti-Hindu".
In 2019, Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers' Federation Ltd, popularly known as Aavin, had won the contract with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) for the supply of ghee for the preparation of the popular Tirupati laddus, also known as SriVari laddus.
The tender for procuring ghee is floated twice a year and each tender is valid for a period of six months. For almost a decade upto 2015, Nandini ghee supplied ghee after it lost position as the major supplier to others.
Tirupati laddus with GI tag
Tirupati Laddu or SriVari Laddu is the laddu sweet offered as Naivedhyam to Lord Venkateswara at the Tirumala and the practice goes back to 2nd August, 1715.
Close to about 200 cooks appointed by the TTD prepare about 1,50,000 laddus every day as they work in the kitchen that lies inside the Sampangi pradakshinam of the temple. Every day, about 300-500 litres of ghee is used to prepare the laddus.
To prevent black marketing of Tirupati Laddus, in 2008, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams registered for a Geographical Indication tag and obtained the GI tag in 2009 and several courts have ruled that only TTD is eligible and sell this laddus which have a distinct, unique and rich taste.
