Entry of Nandini seen as a pathway to improving fortunes of dairy farmers

KCMMF feels that the sale of Karnataka’s Nandini milk brand in Kerala is all about the spirit of cooperation and working together for the sake of farmers in both states

The Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF) is of the view that the decision of the Karnataka Milk Marketing Federation to sell its brand of milk in Kerala is not being highlighted in terms of business opportunities, profit or loss. It is about the spirit of cooperation and working together to better the lot of dairy farmers in both states.

If the objection is against a brand of milk from neighbouring states coming into the Kerala market, there should have been opposition to brands such as Amul and dozens of private brands from within and outside selling in Kerala, said K.S. Mani, chairman, KCMMF, on Tuesday. Over the past seven decades or so, cooperatives in the country have operated on the basis of mutual understanding.

Pan India, these cooperatives have helped improve the fortunes of dairy farmers in the country. It would be another matter if the cooperatives had failed to help farmers. Milk cooperatives have stood as one against import of cheaper products, including fresh milk, from other countries, pointed out Mr. Mani, who also said that some had objected to the entry of the Amul brand of fresh milk in the market.

The KCMMF chairman expressed confidence that the Kerala cooperative brand, Milma, had been putting up a consistently good show. The brand, for the first time, recorded double-digit growth in milk sales last year. He said that the cooperative had been engaged in improving its sales networking and strengthening its marketing for nearly two years now. The results are showing.

He said during the COVID pandemic, the Milma brand of fresh milk sold around 15.5 lakh litres a day, while procurement was around 16 lakh litres. Milma is now trying to improve its procurement as part of its strategy to meet the market demand.

The current month has seen Milma’s three regions — Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Malabar — selling a total of around 16.5 lakh litres a day, while the total daily procurement ranges between 14.25 and 14.50 lakh litres.

Meanwhile, sources close to the dairy industry in the State feel that according to new Central regulations, any brand can be sold anywhere in India. There is no legal option in this regard. However, the Kerala cooperative has been procuring milk from Karnataka when there used to be shortage in local procurement. The issue has to be taken up at the government and national levels with the involvement of political leadership and institutions such as the National Dairy Development Board.