Aavin ready to meet demand for dairy products in summer

Come summer, the consumption of butter milk, cold milk products such as lassi, sweet curd, rose milk, badam milk and so on, multiplies as residents try to beat the heat with the dairy product variants.



Chennai: 

With every second individual in the city relying on the state-owned Aavin for their daily milk supply, the agency is faced with a crunch during summer to produce the required quantity of milk and ensure there is no shortage. Dairy farmers point out that milch animals suffer due to soaring mercury levels, which in turn affects milk production. 

Mohammed Ali, dairy wing, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) points out that cows and buffaloes which milk producers attached to Aavin (Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation) raise are not immune to the scorching sun. “As summer sets in, greenery reduces, affecting the availability of cattle feed and fodder which the farmers provide for their milch animals,” he said, adding, “However, Aavin will not have much of a problem in meeting its procurement target and meeting its daily demand here in the state.” 

While the total milk production in the state accounts for as much as 1.5 crore litre, Aavin procures nearly one-fifth of the total production and remains a top player. 

Officials say that they have put measures in place such as supplying fodder and cattle feed to encourage the dairy farmers keep up the procurement levels. They also echoed the views of Ali and claimed that the procurement level is better compared to previous years. 

Sources said Aavin’s milk procurement from farmers compared to the previous year had increased by a minimum of at least 3 lakh litre. “Last year, the procurement of milk stood at 25.09 lakh litre across the state on April 16 and the same had reached 28.88 lakh litre this year. The difference is of nearly 4 lakh litre but the amount is subject to fluctuation, and we can confidently say that procurement has gone up,” a senior official said. 

The official added that Aavin has been increasing its procurement level on an average as the annual average for the years 2016 – 2017 and 2017 – 2018 stood at 28.5 lakh litre and 29.46 lakh litre respectively. Sources pointed out that the sale of liquid milk was around 20.91 lakh litre during the 2016-2017 fiscal while it had gone up to 21.91 lakh litre during the last fiscal that concluded in March. The agency which has the market share of about 45 per cent in the city, enjoys a market share of 35 – 40 per cent in the mofussil. 

Aavin sales reached its peak on March 8 during which milk sold in the city crossed 12.68 lakh litre, 38,000 litre more than its city average. Aavin is also looking to achieve its peak milk production which is pegged at 36 lakh litre this year while efforts are on to increase the installed capacity. Last year’s highest procurement of Aavin was during September 29, 2017, when it managed to procure as much as 33.01 lakh litre.

“Though the installed capacity is 41 lakh litre, the Dairy will be able to handle as much as 36 lakh litre without any obstacles by churning out a majority of it as liquid milk and the rest as dairy products,” the official added. 

On the fodder situation, the official said Aavin has its own farms and is supplying it at subsidised rates while also providing cattle feed to the tune of 70,000 tonnes annually. “We are also increasing our fodder cultivation to expand supply to the farmers,” he said. 

When contacted, Aavin Managing Director C Kamaraj said all efforts were in place to ensure the milk procurement levels meet the high demand throughout summer. “We are planning to reach our full procurement capacity this year,” he added.