If the reports doing rounds in a section of media are correct, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the affairs of Lord Venkateshwara temple on Tirumala, has chosen Gujarat-based dairy giant Amul for supply of ghee to make the famed Tirumala laddu prasadam.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Executive Officer AV Dharma Reddy said contractor for supply of ghee for laddu prasadam was chosen through an e-tender process, as it cannot be given on a nomination basis.
Reddy said the contract was being given to the company which had emerged as L1 — the lowest bidder. He, however, did not divulge the particulars of the company that had bagged the ghee-supply contract.
This led to the talk that the new company could be Amul Dairy, which was recently handed over the famous Chittoor dairy on a 99-year lease.
There has been a controversy on the ghee supply to TTD for laddu making, after it announced termination of contract given to Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), which has been supplying its famous Nandini brand ghee for several years.
The TTD executive officer rubbished the claims of KMF Chairman Bheema Naik that the federation had been supplying ghee to TTD continuously for the past 20 years.
“The KMF didn’t even participate in the March 2023 tender. Since TTD is a government organisation, it is not possible to give the order on a nomination basis to anybody,” Reddy said.
TTD invites tenders for the supply of ghee every six months. It procures at least 1,400 tonnes of ghee twice every year to make the Tirupati Laddu.
