Dairy Farmers in Kerala Distribute Liters of Milk Free of Cost

Following the Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation's (Milma) decision to avoid collecting milk in the evenings, many dairy farmers are unsure what to do with their supplies. Many dairy farmers in north Kerala protested Milma's decision by giving away free milk. A group of dairy farmers protested Milma's move by giving away many litres of milk free of charge in Chittoor, Palakkad district.

Dairy Farming: During a protest against Milma, dairy farmers gave away free milk to the residents of Meenakshipuram in Chittoor. Dairy farmers in Kannur, Kozhikode, have also expressed dissatisfaction with the decision. As a kind of protest, some farmers in Kozhikode spilled milk on themselves.

Every day from the Malabar region, Milma gathers 7.5 lakh litres of milk. Recently, however, they decided to decrease procurement in the Malabar region by 40% starting from 18^th of May. Milma has been previously recorded unable to distribute excess milk of four lakhs during its lock-down phase from northern Kerala.

Sumesh Achuthan, president of the Palakkad district Congress Committee, backed a group of dairy farmers in their protest. According to Somesh Achuthan, dairy farmers will lose Rs 1.25 crore as a result of Milma's decision. It will be a huge burden for people who depend on dairy income, he said. Milma should reconsider their decision, he said, or the government should bear the loss.

Sumesh Achuthan, Chairman of the Palakkad District Convention Committee, backed the protest by the dairy farmers' association. The dairy farmers will have to face a loss of Rs 1.25 crore because of Milma's decision, Somesh Achuthan said. For the people living on dairy income, it would be an enormous burden. He said either the Government ought to suffer this loss or Milma ought to review its decision.

In the middle of the lock-down very few restaurants and other businesses operate. That has forced Milma to cut back on milk supplies. Also, it is reported that the state has increased milk production with many people opting dairy farming during the lockdown.

Normally, Milma was procuring excess milk and send the same to Tamil Nadu for the production of milk powder. However, they couldn't send milk to Tamil Nadu during the lockdowns, after which the excess procurement was cut off. Milma said they could get more milk and send it to neighboring states once the situation becomes normal.