BackFree milk for migrants and kids in Kerala to solve lockdown-induced glut
A large inventory of milk was lying unsold because of the drop in sales over the shutdown of hotels and bottlenecks in interstate movement amidst the lockdown
PremiumErnakulam: Kerala will provide free milk for migrant workers camps and nursery children, in order to solve a problem of extra supply of milk in the market because of the shutdown of hotels and restaurants due to the current lockdown over the coronavirus.
This is a major relief for both milk farmers, who were worried about non-procurement and losing crucial earnings, and the vulnerable population of migrants and children, who are under stay-at-home orders over the lockdown.
A large inventory of milk, a commodity that needs to be moved in cycles of days as it has a short shelf life, was lying unsold because of the drop in sales over the shutdown of hotels and bottlenecks in interstate movement amidst the lockdown. The bulk of it was under MILMA— short for Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation— the state's ubiquitous cooperative behemoth that nearly owns the market. The problem was more severe in Kerala's northern districts, where it procures at least six lakh liters every day, and are currently like ghost towns over a higher rate of coronavirus infection than the others.
Unable to sell off stocks, MILMA had stopped procurement on Wednesday, pushing farmers to a crisis. In Kerala's Palakkad, for instance, farmers poured onto the road their daily collection of 80,000 litres of milk, in a desperate show to highlight their plight.
Following the developments, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced a slew of measures on Wednesday, including giving the extra milk to migrant labours and children, and tying up with Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh governments to move the milk and convert unsold milk into milk powder.
Tamil Nadu has agreed to let in two truckloads that can carry about 50,000 litres and Andhra Pradesh agreed to carry a consignment of 20,000 liters daily to be converted into milk powder, said the chief minister's office. Consequently, the Malabar Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (MRCMPU), said nearly 70% of the milk procurement would be restored by Thursday.
On the free milk distribution, the government has issued an order signed by Rajesh Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary in Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Department, which said: "In the circumstances, as decided by the Crisis Management Committee chaired by the chief secretary, all the district collectors are directed to take immediate steps to provide milk and/or curd packets to the migrant labour camps in the state based on demand. MILMA will provide the same at their wholesale rate and this will be eligible for reimbursement under SDRF (State Disaster Relief Fund). The district diary unit heads of MILMA will coordinate this under the instructions of the district collectors."
"In addition, it has been decided that UHT milk at the rate of the 180 ml per day per individual, for children and pregnant ladies, who are covered under the Anganawadi scheme run by the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Kerala, will be supplied by MILMA for a period of one month and the cost of the same will reimbursed to MILMA/the Regional Milk Marketing Unions by the government," the order said.
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