Kerala’s state-owned Meat Products of India Ltd (MPI) has proposed a separate vegetarian business unit to operate food stalls at Sabarimala, seeking a new revenue stream as the loss-making public sector undertaking attempts to improve its financial position.
The proposed unit, to be branded ‘Veggies Keralam’, would manufacture and market ready-to-cook and cooked vegetarian products. Its immediate focus would be on running vegetarian food stalls during the annual Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season at Sabarimala.
The proposal is currently before the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), according to the report. Discussions involving the ministers for animal husbandry and devaswom and the TDB president had raised questions about whether vegetarian outlets at the pilgrimage centre should operate under the existing identity of a company associated with meat processing.
The proposed structure is intended to address that concern. Veggies Keralam would function as a distinct unit with separate plant facilities and equipment exclusively for vegetarian products. A government source said there would be no meat or meat products involved in the initiative and that the venture would be separate in both processing and marketing.
The source said the main possible concern related to the proposed brand’s association with MPI, whose established identity is linked to meat products. The separate branding is intended to distinguish the vegetarian operation from the company’s traditional business while allowing the PSU to enter a new consumer segment.
MPI has cited clause III B (6) of its memorandum and articles of association as the legal basis for the venture. The clause permits the company to process agricultural and allied products as ancillary activities. The proposal will require consideration by the TDB before the planned Sabarimala operations can proceed.
The move comes as MPI seeks to expand beyond meat processing. Government data cited in the report shows that the company’s production rose from 240.88 metric tonnes in 2022-23 to 303.20 metric tonnes in 2025-26, an increase of 25.9%. Its income increased from Rs 7.36 crore to Rs 9.66 crore over the same period, a rise of 31.2%.
The increase in production and income has not translated into profitability. MPI reported a net loss of Rs 8.94 crore in 2022-23, which widened to Rs 9.74 crore in 2023-24. The loss narrowed to Rs 9.66 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 8.50 crore in 2025-26.
The proposed vegetarian unit therefore links the management of a public-sector company with the operational demands of one of Kerala’s largest pilgrimage destinations. Its next formal step is consideration of the proposal by the Travancore Devaswom Board, which will determine whether the unit can operate at Sabarimala during the pilgrimage season.
