Mananthavady: Pulparambil Thankachan who hails from Yavanarkulam in Thavinjal has won the award for the best dairy farmer in the state. Thankachan has been bestowed with the state award immediately after he was given the Ksheera Prathiba award by the Kerala chapter of the Indian Veterinary Association.

Thankachan rears 40 cows in his farm and supplies up to 500 litres of milk at the Kattimoola dairy cooperation daily. His Pulparambil Farm that has earned ISO certification is an excellent model in modern dairy farming.

Nine out of 20 milking cows at his farm provides more than 45 litres of milk every day. The farm that was started in 2012 has been equipped with all the machinery and other facilities that is required in a modern dairy farm. Scientific growing of grass, caring for calves, modern technology and cow dung processing unit are part of this model farm. Besides, separate registers are kept for each cow.

Pulparambil Farm has been chosen as the farm school of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. Meanwhile, Thankachan and his wife Beena have been honoured with more than 20 awards and recognitions until now for their excellent model in dairy farming. Besides milk, Thankachan sells value-added products like curd and ghee too.

Moreover, Thankachan has played a key role in designing around 400 dairy farms across Kerala. Thankachan and his family have turned dairy farming into an incredibly lucrative business as he is able to earn an average monthly income of more than ₹1.5 lakh.

Milma had selected Beena as the best dairy farmer in the Malabar region in 2019. Besides, their farm won the Ksheera Sahakari award in 2020. The couple got the opportunity to represent Kerala at the Republic Day parade at Delhi in 2025 for their amazing contribution to dairy industry.

The Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University has chosen Thankachan, a former volleyball player, as a local scientist. Meanwhile, Thankachan says that the government should intervene with effective measures like increasing the price for milk collection to further develop the dairy industry.