Andhra Pradesh - Eluru   

Milk becomes dearer in West Godavari

ELURU: “Ryte Raju”, the milk farmer in West Godavari district seemingly lives up to this maxim, for at least now, thanks to the demand-supply gap in milk production. Both the private and State-run milk dairies are vying with one another to keep the milk farmers in their good books by offering higher price and for their produce and the other incentives in a bid to meet the increasing demand for the white liquid.

Collector G. Jayalakshmi, at a review meeting a couple of days ago, asked the officials of the Andhra Pradesh Dairy Development Cooperative Federation (APDDCF), to increase the price of milk by Rs. 2 per litre from Rs. 25.25 to Rs. 27.25 while wanting the hike to be effective with immediate effect. Besides, she also instructed the DDCF authorities to be regular in payments made to the producers for milk procurement and win the latter’s confidence thereby.

The sharp fall in milk production triggers severe competition among the dairies for milk procurement. As many as six private dairies are actively operating in the district, in addition to the DDCF which entered the picture a year ago by taking over the milk-routes from the Krishna District Milk Producers Cooperative Union. Besides, a number of milkmen take away large quantities of milk from the producers and sell the liquid in the nearby urban centres by two-wheelers. In a bid to survive the competition, the private dairies reportedly offered to lend advances to the farmers for purchase of animals and feed at subsidised rates. The ‘soft’ loans apart, which can be repaid by the producers by way of selling milk to the respective dairies in an easy and hassle-free manner, the private dairies settle the payments either on the spot or in advance of a month or so, unlike the case in the State dairies.

March-August is considered lean season in terms of milk production, during which period the Dairy Development Cooperative Federation receives 35,000 litres per day at its bulk chilling point at Bhimadole as against the demand of 42,000. As calving season sets in, the milk production drastically comes down. Meanwhile, the hike in milk rates officially announced by the administration will have a spiralling effect on the sales made by retail vendors door-to-door in towns and villages in the district in the days to come.

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