August 1: Sitaram Gokul Milks Pvt Ltd, which is involved in the production and sale of dairy products, has prepared to diversify its products and expand its services by adding an investment of around Rs 150 million.

The company, which has been collecting, processing, producing, and selling milk products for a long time, has already opened a sales center in Kuleshwar, Kathmandu, to facilitate the access of consumers to its products.

The company has decided to bring a sales center into operation in the new market of Kirtipur from Monday. There is a plan to sell Sitaram's ghee, cottage cheese, flavored milk, and curd through the sales outlets. The company will also operate a cafe there. The company says that tea, coffee, and other dairy products will also be served at the sales center.

The company’s president Sumit Kedia said that the company had spent around Rs 1.5 million on setting up a sales center with a cafe. "There is a plan to open a sales center soon to deliver Sitaram products to every area in the Kathmandu valley," said Kedia, "Because there is a lot of work left for that, it is not possible to say at which place it will be opened."

Sitaram Gokul Milks also gives its franchise to other dairy operators to increase consumer access to its products. So far, four dairies in Kalimati, Patan, Lazimpat and Chabahil have taken the franchise of Sitaram.

The company has plans to produce new dishes from next January. Kedia said that the plan has been made according to the demand of the consumers. In the first phase, as a test, the company produced and sent a small quantity of curd, lassi, ice cream, cottage cheese, flavored milk and other products to the market. Kedia said that there is a plan to produce the same products in large quantities soon as there has been a positive response from the market. Sitaram's production plant is at Veshyapati in Kirtipur.

According to Kedia, the total cost of the new production and sales center will be around Rs150 million. Along with adding new products, the company will also add 10 percent manpower. The company is currently in the process of bringing in technology from abroad, adding manpower, and discussing issues with experts.

About 4500 people are directly and indirectly employed by this company, which started its business 25 years ago. Around 100,000 families from Chitwan, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Kavre, Morang, Bara, and Sarlahi districts are connected with this company. Around Rs 2.4 million go to the village every day through the company. Kedia informed that the company has also established a research and development lab with an investment of around Rs 20 million.