The Ernakulam Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union sold a record 7.70 lakh litres of milk on Uthradam day on Sunday against an average daily sale of 3.50 lakh litres. The regional cooperative also sold 66,000 litres of curd on the day.
The peak in Onam season sale came as a surprise for the cooperative, as both milk production and sale had been severely hit by COVID-19 restrictions. The cooperative had sold 7 lakh litres of milk on Uthradam day last year.
“Generating an extra sale of around 70,000 litres is a surprise. We were not seeing such a big jump in sale, though there was an expected rise in demand for dairy products despite the lockdown,” said Ernakulam region chairman John Theruvath.
The regional cooperative comprises dairy farmers from the districts of Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, and Idukki. Almost the entire demand was met by local production except for 25,000 litres of milk which was brought from outside the State.
The COVID-19 restrictions on Onam celebrations have been a big dampener on the market this season. The market for products ranging from consumer durables to eatables has remained much suppressed in the run-up to the Onam festivities.
Milk sales across the State saw a big upward swing this season despite the lockdown. The milk cooperative, Milma, which comprises the three regions of Ernakulam, Kozhikode, and Thiruvananthapuram, sold around three million litres of milk across the State on Uthradam day, in addition to over three lakh litres of curd.
Meanwhile, Mr. John said the dairy sector had been severely affected by the pandemic. The price of cattle feed had crossed ₹1,200 per 50 kg, which was a big blow to the dairy sector. The rapid rise in the cost of raw materials is the basic reason for the spiralling cost of cattle feed, he said. At the same time, the heavy rain for around a fortnight in early August did not bring about as extensive a damage to the dairy sector in the region as the floods in 2018, he added.