A few weeks ago, along with Amul and Mother Dairy, all the dairies of the country had increased the prices of milk to shake the budget of the common people. In the coming days, the price of milk may once again shake the budget of common people. Dairy industry officials say that milk prices have already increased by 2-3 percent in May. If there is fodder shortage due to El Nino and low rainfall and milk production is affected, prices may increase further by July or August.
Generally, due to less rainfall, farmers reduce the number of cattle due to lack of fodder and water, due to which milk production decreases and prices increase. Big dairy companies like Amul, Mother Dairy and Parag Milk Foods had increased milk prices by 2-3 percent in May. At the same time, Aavin of Tamil Nadu has reduced the supply due to the effect of heat wave.
Milk may become costlier by up to 4 percent
Devendra Shah, chairman of Parag Milk Foods, owner of ‘Go Cheese’ and ‘Goverdhan’ brands, said in an ET report that milk prices have already increased by about 2-3 per cent and if rainfall remains below normal in the main milk producing areas, there could be another 3-4 per cent increase by July. Maharashtra government has advised farmers to increase fodder production, while many dairy companies are working on fodder schemes with cattle farmers.
Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Commissioner Kiran Patil said that the possibility of fodder shortage in the near future due to El Nino cannot be ruled out. To ensure that this situation does not impact livestock and milk production, all livestock farmers in the state should remain alert from now on and plan for fodder crops.
Opinion of Amul and Mother Dairy
Amul said in the ET report that it will assess the progress of monsoon before forming any opinion and the fodder situation is not a matter of concern right now. Jayen Mehta, managing director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which owns the Amul brand, said there is no immediate impact of El Nino on the availability of milk. The effect of less rainfall is usually limited to certain areas rather than the entire country.
Mother Dairy said that it is monitoring the situation in the procurement areas and taking preventive measures where necessary. Jayateertha Chari, Managing Director, Mother Dairy, said that we are closely monitoring the developments in our procurement network from state to state and are working on appropriate preventive measures wherever needed.
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