The Hindu : Karnataka / Mangalore News : Milk being procured from Hassan to meet shortfall

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 06, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mangalore

Milk being procured from Hassan to meet shortfall

By Raviprasad Kamila

MANGALORE, MARCH 5. Milk production in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi has failed to meet the demand in the two districts, forcing Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd. to purchase approximately 35,000 litres a day from Hassan Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd.

The average production of milk by Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union stood at 1,36,491 litres a day in February as against the demand for 1,62,437 litres in the same month in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi revenue districts.

Sources in DKMUL told The Hindu that only about 36,000 families are engaged in the production of milk, though the body has a membership of 75,000. The procurement and sale are equal only during the rainy season in the district. Otherwise, there is a huge demand for milk. So, Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union is purchasing milk from the Hassan union, they added.

By-products

It is not only milk which is in demand but also its by-products. Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union sells about 12,000 litres of curds, 2,000 litres of lassi, 60 kg of peda and 25 kg of Mysorepak a day. The milk purchased from the Hassan milk producers union is also used for this purpose.

Despite banks extending loans for dairy farming and the Government enacting various schemes to promote dairying, it is yet to catch up in the district.

At present, there are 450 milk societies under Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union in the twin districts covering 500 revenue villages.

Of them, 84 societies are managed by women societies. Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union plans to increase the number of societies to 600 by 2010 by covering all the 635 revenue villages, sources said.

Milk production in the twin districts increased after 1996. Till then, Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union was procuring only 45,000 litres a day. Last year, it managed to sell 1,57,000 litres of milk in a day.

After the prices of arecanut crashed in 1996, farmers took to dairying as they found it remunerative.

But the production has lagged behind as the cost of milk production in this belt is relatively more when compared to other parts of Karnataka. In other districts, farmers get fodder easily out of many crops. But here, farmers have to depend on green fodder, and the transportation of dry fodder from other parts also adds up to the total cost.

Hence, Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union plans to give importance to the cultivation of green fodder. If there is enough availability of green fodder, more number of farmers may come forward to take up dairying to meet the milk shortage locally.

Sources said that only a small quantity of milk is being purchased by private parties directly from the farmers in the district for manufacturing ice creams and the like.

The major share of procurement lies with Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union. Even if the private parties stop purchasing milk directly and if the milk is sold to Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers' Union, there is still scope for the growth of dairying as there is demand, they added.

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