The crisis surrounding milk procurement in north Kerala was addressed to a large extent on Wednesday with Tamil Nadu agreeing to allow Milma convert unsold milk into milk powder in that State. The Kerala government announced measures to help Milma.
Following government-level discussions, Tamil Nadu has agreed to let in two truckloads - approximately 50,000 litres - daily for conversion into milk powder. Nearly 70% of the milk procurement would be restored by Thursday, the Malabar Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (MRCMPU) said on Wednesday.
The MRCMPU collects approximately six-lakh litres of milk daily from six north Kerala districts. Sales, however, had plumetted on account of the COVID-19 lockdown. Following the dip, the MRCMPU had been converting the unsold quantities into milk powder in units in Tamil Nadu. However, on Monday, Tamil Nadu had closed the doors on milk vehicles from Kerala citing COVID-19 concern.
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Faced with a sudden glut, the MRCMPU was forced to declare a holiday for milk procurement on Wednesday much to the dismay of dairy farmers. The State government had taken up the matter with Tamil Nadu on Monday itself on being apprised of the situation by Milma.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said part of the remaining unsold milk would be distributed to migrant labourers stuck in labour camps in the State. Mr. Vijayan urged the public to help Milma out by purchasing milk and milk-based products. The products, he said, would be made available through Consumerfed outlets.
Tamil Nadu aside, the MRCMPU plans to send consignments to Guntur in Andhra Pradesh for milk powder conversion. But this plan is fraught with problems due to the large distance involved. The MRCMPU plans to send 20,000 litres to Guntur.
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