In order to increase the milk output in the Union Territory, the government has now planned to introduce mini dairies in different villages.
The mini dairies will ensure that the milk that is produced and processed on the spot. It will be set up in a number of locations across the UT. Currently, the officials are working out the details, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said.
The milk shortage in the UT still continues, with a shortage of close to 30,000 litres per day. The current shortage is due to the excessive dependence on milk from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. There is a daily requirement of 1,10,000 litres of milk at the Pondicherry Co-Operative Milk Producers Union Limited
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“In the 1990s, the milk cooperatives in Puducherry used to produce around 85,000 litres of milk a day, which was more than enough for the UT’s daily consumption. Now, the situation has changed and only around 30,000 litres comes from Puducherry, so we are forced to buy from other States,” he said. The cooperatives, on the other hand, are saying that it is not viable since it is too expensive to maintain cattle. The government is paying a higher rate for milk from Tamil Nadu, since it has a higher fat content. Over here, the costs of cattle feed has increased exorbitantly and most people have started selling off their cows, one of the members of a cooperative said.