C’nagar milk society hikes procurement price by ₹2 per litre

Mysuru: Chamarajanagar Cooperative Milk Union Limited (Chamul) has decided to increase milk procurement price by Rs 2 per litre. The decision comes amid milk procurement being hit due to cattle being affected by Lumpy Skin Disease.
The decision was taken at the 96th general executive committee meeting of the milk union last week. Currently the union has been providing Rs 28.75 per litre of milk to dairy farmers. The new price is Rs 30.45 per litre with effect from October 22. Farmers will now get Rs 35.45 per litre of milk including Rs 5 incentive provided by the state government.
As milk production will be high during monsoon season, the union usually reduces the procurement price during this season and increase it in summer season. But this year, the milk procurement took a beating due to LSD.
As the cost of production of milk has increased due to rise in price of cattle feed, the milk union has increased the price, Chamul chairman YC Nagendra told TOI.
Chamul has 463 primary milk producers’ cooperative societies which supply milk to the union after procuring it from farmers. It procures 2.1 lakh litres of milk daily from producers. Of this, it sells 40,000 litres as milk and 9,000 litres of curds daily to consumers. It also sells 80,000 litres of ultra-high temperature milk to different states of the country.
As part of extension of milk sales in other states, the Chamul is selling 4,000 litres of Nandini brand milk daily to neighbouring Tamil Nadu. It has also initiated measures to sell its milk in Kerala.
“The union has extended insurance cover to cattle to help milk producers. It has also provided health insurance cover to their family members up to Rs 1 lakh, Rs 15,000 compensation in case of accidental death and hostel for milk producer’s daughters. It also provides grants up to Rs 4.5 lakh for construction of primary milk producers cooperative society building. As the milk union provides all these benefits, dairy farmers must encourage milk co-operative societies and its Nandini milk brand without yielding to private milk companies which are wooing farmers with various gifts,” Chamul director Kodimole Rajshekhar told TOI.