Coimbatore: Milk production in Tamil Nadu will increase only if the state govt raises procurement price to Rs 50 per litre, a farmers’ organisation has said.Yermunai Ilaingar Ani of Katchi Sarbatra Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam state vice-president M Suresh said Coimbatore and Tirupur are among the leading milk-producing districts in Tamil Nadu, with farmers relying on cattle rearing for supplementary income. However, feed costs have steadily climbed, with a 60kg cottonseed cake bag priced at Rs 2,830, a 47.5kg rice bran bag at Rs 880 and a 50kg maize flour bag at Rs 1,440, he said.He attributed the increased dependence on purchased feed to shrinking grazing land due to conversion into housing, factories and other construction. Small farmers owning two to three cows for over 15 years are facing severe financial stress, he added.Suresh said maintenance, labour cost and feed expenses rise by around 5-10% annually, but procurement prices have not kept pace. At present, Aavin and private firms pay only Rs 32-36 per litre, and rates have remained unchanged for the past two to three years despite inflation, he said.The organisation urged the govt to fix procurement prices at Rs 50 per litre for cow milk and Rs 70 per litre for buffalo milk. It also pointed to a wide gap between procurement and retail prices, noting that Aavin variants are sold in retail at about Rs 24 to Rs 32, while door-delivered cow milk is sold at up to Rs 60 per litre.Coimbatore and Tirupur districts are producing more than five lakh litres of milk per day. More than 25,000 farmers are pouring milk daily across the two districts. Dairy officials said the steady inflow reflects sustained production levels in the region.EOM
