Milma Makes Strides in Milk Procurement, Sales in 1st Half of 2025-26

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), known by brand Milma, has made major strides in milk procurement and sales in the first six months of fiscal 2025-26, fuelled by its dairy farmer-oriented welfare schemes and products quality improvement programmes.

Figures relating to key parameters show that all the three regional unions of KCMMF – Malabar Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (MRCMPU), Ernakulam Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (ERCMPU) and Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (TRCMPU)–scaled up performance from April 1 to September 30, 2025, compared to the corresponding period last fiscal.

The total milk procurement of Milma in the first six months of this fiscal stood at 12,15,289 litres per day as against 10,66,340 litres per day during the corresponding period last year.

The sale of milk too increased by touching 16,83,781 litres per day as against 16,50,296 litres per day during the corresponding period last fiscal. In percentage terms, the procurement recorded a sharp increase of 13.97 and sales 2.03.

In volume terms, the total state-wide procurement of milk recorded an increase of 1,48,949 litres per day compared to the corresponding period last fiscal and sales marked an increase of 33,485 lakh litres per day.

Region-wise figures show that MRCMPU topped in milk procurement with 6,69,126 litres per day (+13.97) followed by ERCMPU 2,83,114 litres per day (+19.28) and TRCMPU with 2,63,049 litres per day. In sales too, MRCMPU led with 6,69,669 litres per day (+2.73) followed by TRCMPU 5,66,422 litres per day (+1.04 per cent) and ERCMPU 4,47,690 litres per day (+2.25 pc).

Notably, milk procurement marked a significant increase of around 14 pc during the period despite a sharp decline in cattle population in the state, as found by the recent cattle survey.

“Milma has put up an impressive performance, going by all key metrics, in the first six months of 2025-26. It is significant to note that this was achieved despite the cooperative dairy sector facing heavy headwinds including high input cost and stiff competition from within and outside the country,”Milma Chairman K S Mani noted.

Holding that the credit for this performance largely goes to the farmers affiliated to Milma’s cooperative network, Mani added that Milma’s support schemes, both at the federation and regional union levels, have contributed substantially in keeping up milk procurement and sales.

During the six-month period, all the three regional unions had ramped up welfare and support programmes for the dairy farmers, passing bulk of its revenue back to the milk producers, adhering to the economic and inclusive model followed by Milma as a major Anand-pattern dairy cooperative network of India, Mani, also chairman of MRCMPU, said.

Welfare and institutional support schemes rolled out by Milma included additional procurement price and a raft of subsidies on cattle feed, green fodder, silage, maize and insemination subsidy, which helped farmers withstand the impact of increase in production cost and other sectoral challenges.

MRCMPU handed out an amount of Rs.4,00,17,449 as additional milk price to its farmers and Rs. 5,47,91,850 as cattle subsidy. ERCMPU handed over a sum of Rs. 11,23,61,130 as additional milk price to its dairy farmers, while TRCMPU gave away a sum of Rs. 10,73,61,164 as additional milk price.

Also, Milma, along with its three regional unions, had initiated a slew of credit support schemes including cattle insurance, facilitation of low interest loans for purchase of cows, benevolent funds for farmers and families, and breed improvement schemes.

The period also saw rolling out of improved breed improvement and veterinary healthcare schemes like decentralised veterinary unit support and insurance schemes like ‘Ksheera Samaswasam’, ‘Ksheera Sadanam’ and ‘Ksheera Swanthanam’.

The period also saw Milma implementing some major projects to improve the quality of its products, especially liquid milk, reflecting on its deep commitment to millions of households for whom Milma milk is a kitchen staple.

Meanwhile, the cattle feed subsidy of Rs. 100 per bag being provided by Milma will continue till the end of December 2025. While MRCMPU and TRCMPU are also providing cattle feed subsidy on similar lines for farmers in their respective regions, the same is also under consideration of ERCMPU.