The Malabar Union of Milma is offering benefits worth ₹8.52 crore to dairy farmers in the region as additional remuneration for milk as well as subsidy for cattle fodder.
A meeting of the administrative panel of the Malabar Union on August 24 (Saturday) decided to offer the benefits as an Onam gift for farmers, as most of them are in dire straits due to the heavy rains and natural disasters that occurred during July and August. Around one lakh dairy farmers in north Kerala and around 1,200 cooperative societies will benefit from the offer.
Milma Chairman K.S. Mani and Managing Director K.C. James said in a press release that the Malabar Union had increased the price of the milk collected by ₹2 per litre during the period from July 1 to 31. The amount is handed over to the farmers every 10 days. The additional ₹2 announced on Saturday for the milk received during the month of July will be given to the farmers in the first week of September. A sum of ₹370 lakh will be distributed among the farmers before Onam.
In addition, the union has earmarked a fund of ₹3.7 crore as working fund for the cooperative societies. This fund is also distributed at the rate of additional ₹2 for the milk collected in July. Thus, the societies get an average of ₹51.82 per litre of milk.
The union has also earmarked ₹1.12 crore as subsidy for fodder. The union is offering ₹150 as subsidy for a 50-kg bag of Gomathi brand and ₹50 as subsidy for the TMR brand of fodder.
