Like earlier, Chamul is producing 2.1 lakh litres of milk even in the second week of March. Usually, milk production declines in summer in almost all milk unions. Though farmers of the region were also troubled by treatment costs posed by LSD, which claimed thousands of cattle across India, it has had minimal impact on production this year in Chamarajanagar district.
Chamul recorded its daily milk procurement of 2,10, 340 litres on March 7. During the corresponding period last year, the milk union recorded procurement of 2,03,310 litres. This shows milk procurement has increased by 7,000 litres this year. The LSD has had minimal impact on milk production despite the district having lost hundreds of milking cows to the disease.
Milk procurement always took a beating from December to May due to low milk yield caused by scarcity of fodder and various other reasons in Chamul. But this year farmers had stocked enough fodder and the abundant rains in the district last year helped prevent a shortage of fodder.
An increase in irrigation pump sets, extension of agriculture area by lake filling and other projects across the district has been attributed to the increase in milk production, Chamul MD Rajashekhara Murthy told TOI. He said Chamul’s milk procurement will reach 3 lakh litres from July.
Currently the milk union provides Rs 30.85 per litre of milk procured from farmers. Chamul procures milk from 482 primary milk producers’ cooperative societies including 85 women cooperative societies. Unlike previous years, milk procurement did not take a hit this year, he said.
Chamul president Nagendra told TOI that milk union’s directors and several staff successfully undertook a study tour to Vietnam, Cambodia and other South East Asian countries recently. It decided to ship milk and milk products to these countries in the coming days as part of extension of its milk marketing activities.
