Include milk in breakfast scheme: dairy farmers

‘UHT milk or powder can be provided to children’

Dairy farmers have urged the State government to include milk in the breakfast scheme announced during the recent Assembly session. They have suggested that either milk that is heated to ultra high temperatures (UHT), which has a shelf life of 120 days, or milk powder could be provided to the children.

“The Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, had announced that the government would provide breakfast to the children studying in government schools, which is a welcome move. If milk is added to their diet, it will help improve their calcium level and also that of other vitamins and minerals,” said M.G. Rajendran, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Welfare Association. The association recently submitted a representation in this regard to the officials. 

A retired official of the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation, which owns the Aavin brand, said milk powder or UHT milk would make sense since it would be easier to handle. Both the options would work out to under ₹10 per child per day with milk powder being more economical. 

Dairy farmers have demanded that the procurement price be increased as prices of fodder had gone up since August 2019. Fodder alone accounts for ₹30.31 as input cost per litre of milk. “There are other expenses like insurance, medicines, vaccination and labour. These work out to ₹19.84 per litre,” he said. The federation pays between ₹27-₹32 per litre of cow’s milk and between ₹37-₹41 per litre of buffalo’s milk to according to the fat and solid non-fat content in milk supplied.

A 50% subsidy on concentrate cattle feed would help immediately, said K. Suresh, a farmer. The federation procures milk from about 4.2 lakh dairy famers in the State.