Bucking the grim pandemic-induced crisis in the last two years, Kerala's cooperative dairy major Milma recorded a 25 percent increase in its turnover in 2021-22.
Significantly, the higher turnover has been achieved by Milma in the last two financial years without cutting down the procurement price of milk from farmers and without increasing the selling price. Also, a slew of special incentives and subsidies were passed on to nearly one million dairy farmers affiliated to the multi-tier co-operative network.
In 2021-22, Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), a household name in the state known by the brand Milma, increased its turnover (provisional) to Rs 4,300 crore from Rs 3,388 crore the previous year. In 2019-20, Milma’s turnover stood at Rs 3,210 crore.
''The last two years have been really tough with the Covid-19 pandemic triggering an all-round crisis. But Milma has been able to come through unscathed, living up to the unflinching faith reposed on the network by thousands of farmers and loyal customers,'' said Milma Chairman KS Mani.
Milma, along with its three Regional Unions, has achieved an all-time increase in procurement, distribution, turnover and profit in the last two years despite severe constraints imposed by the pandemic, he said.
Milma's three Regional Unions and over 3,300 primary societies under them have contributed significantly in steering the state's dairy sector through multiple hurdles thrown up by the pandemic by adopting robust strategies and a farmer-centric approach, Mani noted.
Milma stands out in the country's dairy sector as it passes on to farmers 83 per cent of its revenue as price for milk, which is the highest in India, he said.
Despite crippling disruptions and gripping economic recession spawned by the pandemic, Milma has stayed rock solid behind the farmers, besides playing a central role in helping the government realise its target of attaining self-sufficiency in milk production, Mani added.
The procurement of milk by Milma went up by 12.52 per cent to 15,19,737 litres per day in 2021-22 from 13,50,656 litres per day the previous year. The daily sale of milk also increased to 14,29,654 litres a day during the year from 13,09,868 per day the previous year.
(With PTI inputs)
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