Amidst rising costs, farmers quit milk production.
Story so far: The milk production in and around Bengaluru has taken a hit. It has dropped from 14-15 lakh litres per day to 12-13 lakh litres in less than two months. If the trend continues, reporters suggest that the milk supply in the city will fall short of the demand. Bangalore Milk Union Ltd (Bamul) cites farmers giving up the trade as a cause.
- Bamul’s chairperson reveals that the government failed to protect farmers. While other states pay them ₹40 per litre, Karnataka pays ₹30. Even when Bamul officially sought price revision, the state didn’t budge.
- To deal with farmers bailing, Bamul has begun pruning its production of bulk milk packets and ghee, among other things.
Why it matters? Cost escalation of animal feed and insufficient revenue have rendered cattle farming an expensive business. As a result, Karnataka’s farmers are selling their livestock to their counterparts in Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. Intermediaries facilitating these deals are earning around ₹2 lakh per cattle.