17/01/2026
Shri George Kurian, Hon’ble Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Minority Affairs, Government of India, inaugurated the new state-of-the-art NDDB CALF LTD’s Food Testing Laboratory, Kochi (a wholly owned subsidiary of NDDB) on 17 January 2026. The inaugural function was graced by Shri Hibi Eden, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Ernakulam; Dr Meenesh Shah, Chairman, NDDB and NDDB CALF Ltd; Dr Rajesh Nair, Managing Director, NDDB CALF Ltd. Shri K. S. Mani, Chairman, MILMA; Smt Mani Viswanath, Chairperson, TRCMPU; Shri Valsalan Pillai, Chairman, ERCMPU; Shri Asif K Yusuf, IAS, Managing Director, KCMMF.
The laboratory has been established as a State Central Laboratory under the National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) with financial support from the Government of India. Pursuant to an MoU between KCMMF and NDDB CALF Limited, the facility has been professionally operationalised and will function as a branch laboratory of NDDB CALF LTD, Anand, Gujarat, adhering to the same stringent quality systems and professional standards followed at its other laboratories across the country. Fully accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by NABL and recognised by FSSAI the NDDB CALF Kochi Laboratory is equipped with advanced analytical infrastructure and qualified scientific manpower. The facility offers comprehensive testing services across microbiology, wet chemistry, residues and contaminants for milk and milk products, supporting both cooperative and private sector stakeholders.
While the laboratory is primarily designed to meet the testing requirements of the dairy sector in Kerala, it will also be expanded to include testing of food and agricultural commodities such as fruits and vegetables, spices, fish and fishery products, bakery and ready-to-eat foods. The laboratory will also cater to the testing needs of neighbouring states. Beyond analytical services, the facility will contribute to capacity building through specialised training programmes for cooperative personnel, industry professionals and students. This will help strengthen technical competence across the food sector.
