Mangaluru: The administrative board of Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd (DKMUL) has approved an additional special milk incentive of Rs 1 per litre for members of milk producer cooperative societies under its jurisdiction.DKMUL president Raviraj Hegde said the enhanced incentive will be in effect from Feb 21 to May 31, 2026. With the revision, the union expects to disburse an additional Rs 4.1 lakh per day, amounting to about Rs 4 crore during the period.
The board took the decision in view of fodder constraints and rising input costs faced by dairy farmers. Officials cited shortages of both green and dry fodder across the two districts covered by the union, as well as the high cost of silage, as key reasons. The incentive aims to support farmers in maintaining their cattle and producing milk during the summer months.DKMUL clarified that the additional Rs 1 per litre will be over and above the existing quality incentive of Rs 1.5 per litre for milk meeting the parameters of 4.4% Fat and 8.5% SNF. With the revised structure, the quality milk rate will be Rs 41.7 per litre.Hegde appealed to member farmers to use the incentive period to increase procurement by producing and supplying higher-quality milk.Union officials said current milk procurement stands at around 4.1 lakh litres per day, down from 4.2 lakh litres per day in Dec, attributing the drop to seasonal summer conditions. Total demand within the union’s network is about 5 lakh litres per day, and the shortfall is being met with supplies from the Hassan, Shivamogga and Mandya milk unions.
