Karimnagar dairy ‘proves’ to be State’s crème de la crème

K.M. Dayashankar

Last summer, the Karimnagar Milk Producers Company Limited, faced with shortage in production, was forced to purchase milk from other dairies to keep up with the demand. But this year, things are looking up — the dairy has registered record production and is even selling surplus milk to other dairies in Andhra Pradesh, where there is more demand.

Thanks to effective implementation of buffalo distribution at 75% subsidy to the SC and ST communities and 50% subsidy to other communities in the State, the Karimnagar dairy secured milch animals from Haryana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka instead of local market.

It introduced more than 12,000 new buffaloes and cows into the existing pool of over 1.4 lakh milch animals with the Karimnagar dairy farmers during the last year.

Top performer

During the last summer, dairy milk procurement was only 1.4 lakh litres per day. Now, it has crossed 2 lakh litres per day. In other districts, the authorities have simply rotated the existing milch animals in the name of implementation of the ambitious scheme and siphoned off government subsidy amount, which is why there is no surplus milk, said sources.

Speaking to The Hindu on Sunday, Karimnagar dairy chairman Ch. Rajeshwara Rao said they have touched the 2 lakh litre per day procurement mark with an average daily procurement of 1.92 lakh litres. “We are selling 12,000 litres of milk to Visaka dairy because of surplus milk,” he said and added that they were targeting 3 lakh litres in the next year and 5 lakh litres by 2022 by increasing the population of milch animals.

“We successfully availed the government subsidy scheme for the purchase of milch animals from other states,” he said.

He said Karimnagar dairy tops in the State in terms of turnover, milk procurement, sales and production of various dairy products. “We are also number one in terms of taking up welfare activities for milk producers as well as animals,” he claimed.

Mr. Rao explained that the government provides ₹80,000 for purchase of each animal, including 10,000 for insurance and three weeks of fodder. Besides, the dairy has also supplied 250 tonnes of fodder seed at 50% subsidy to farmers of the Karimnagar dairy to overcome fodder shortage during summer.