24-04-14
* As against the supply of 15,000 litres of milk daily to Nagpur, now
‘Aarey’ brand supply has come down only to around 6,000 litres a day and
that too from Wardha
* Non-homogenised ‘Aarey’ milk is being supplied at higher price to Nagpur since April 1
By Kartik Lokhande
One’s
adversity could be another’s opportunity. This is proving true in case
of milk supply. Since the handing over of Government Dairy at Nagpur to
Mother Dairy from April 1, the supply of ‘Aarey’ brand of milk to Nagpur
has been affected. And, this has proven to be an opportunity for
private suppliers.
In October 2013, Maharashtra Cabinet had decided to provide about 10
acres of land of Government Dairy at Nagpur to Central Government’s
Mother Dairy on 30-years lease to increase milk output. Accordingly,
from April 1, Government Dairy at Nagpur closed down. However, sources
said, Mother Dairy is yet to start production. With ‘Aarey’ brand of
milk going out of supply, and Mother Dairy brand yet to enter the market
to the desired extent, private supplies happily grabbed their share in
Nagpur market.
Meanwhile, sources added, people insisted on ‘Aarey’ brand of milk at
some centres in the city. The dealers who supplied milk at these centres
were in a fix. Following this, the Dairy Development Department
authorities here decided to augment the supply of ‘Aarey’ brand of milk
from Government Dairy at Wardha. However, as there is no ‘homogeniser’
at Wardha, ‘Aarey’ brand of milk supplied to Nagpur has been
‘non-homogenised’ since April 1. Besides, this affected supply of
adequate quantity of ‘Aarey’ milk to Nagpur. Further, the dealers who
had placed a demand for this particular brand of milk arranged for
transport of milk packets from Wardha to Nagpur and loaded this
additional cost on the consumers. As a result, the consumers got this
brand of milk at higher price.
Asked about this, Dairy Development Manager (Nagpur) A R Pajankar
confirmed to ‘The Hitavada’ that closure of Government Dairy at Nagpur
had resulted in private suppliers increasing their share in Nagpur. “As
against the per day supply of 15,000 litres of ‘Aarey’ milk to Nagpur
previously, now only around 5,000 litres is being supplied. For this
too, dealers have made transport arrangement,” he said. According to
him, Mother Dairy was yet to become operational and it might take around
six months more for it to become fully operational with new equipment.
According to Dairy Manager (Wardha) D R Lakhe, around 6,000 litres of
‘Aarey’ milk was being supplied to Nagpur per day. He admitted that
there was no homogeniser at Wardha plant. “We had informed the public in
advance that non-homogenised milk would be supplied till homogeniser
was installed at Wardha plant. Today itself, we have sent a vehicle to
get the equipment from Nashik. By the end of this month, homogeniser
will be installed and homogenised milk will be supplied from May 1,” he
told ‘The Hitavada’ on Thursday.
It is learnt from sources that Mother Dairy is trying to source milk
from Bhandara and nearby areas to start supply as soon as possible.
Also, it is trying to get the milk packaging done at private units
around Nagpur. “This would provide breathing space till the time it
becomes fully operational,” said a source familiar with the
developments.
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