The milk production in the Malabar region has recorded a huge increase over the past few years and has exceeded the requirement.
The quantity of milk procured by the dairies of the Malabar Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (MRCMPU of Milma) is an indication that the overall production in the northern districts has gone up even during the lean season (summer months) and is expected to further increase in the flush season (rainy season) when procurement naturally exceeds beyond demand.
MRCMPU officials said that one lakh litres of surplus milk procured by the union every day is now being given to sister unions in the southern regions of the State. MRCMPU’s daily milk requirement for marketing is five lakh litres.
The procurement figures of the union shows that the quantity of milk procured by the union reached 5.30 lakh litres a day in the current fiscal as against 5.19 lakh litres in 2014-15, 4.90 lakh litres in 2013-14, and 4.66 lakh litres in 2012-13.
Milestone
The milk procurement of the union over the past two weeks has crossed six lakh litres a day, almost double the quantity procured by the union 10 years ago.
“Milk procurement by the MRCMPU this year recorded 22 per cent increase over last year’s figure,” MRCMPU Managing Director K.T. Thomas told The Hindu .
The attraction of the dairy sector, unlike other agricultural sectors, is the solid marketing support system and guaranteed price, he said.
Milk powder
The dairies under the MRCMPU are procuring milk from one lakh milk producers in six northern districts.
The surplus milk is transferred to the sister unions and converted to milk powder, Mr. Thomas said.
The union is now bracing for higher procurement in the flush season when production increases and demand decreases.
The MRCMPU is among the top 10 milk producers’ unions in the country ranked on the basis of high return to the members.
According to MRCMPU officials here, the rate of return to farmers is 82 per cent by way of milk procurement price, veterinary aids, and farmer supporting systems, including insurance coverage and cattle feed subsidies.
They said that the huge increase in milk production in the Malabar region was a salutary effect of the crisis being faced by rubber growers owing to price fall.
More farmers are now shifting from rubber to dairy farming, the MRCMPU officials added.
Milk procured from one lakh members in six districts
Overall production up even during lean season
