Chandigarh:Considering difficulties being faced by milk producers due to continuous increase in purchase price of raw cattle feed ingredients, finished feed rates, fodder & other milk production overhead costs, Milkfed Punjab has decided to increase its milk procurement price being paid to farmers by Rs 20 per kg fat w.e.f. 21.05.2022 which will increase the cow milk rate approximately by Rs. 1 per kg & buffalo milk by Rs. 1.40 per kg milk for farmers.
Divulging the details, Co-operation Minister Harpal Singh Cheema assured that in future also more concrete steps would be taken for the benefit of milk producers and best quality milk products will be provided to the consumers in the state by Verka. Milkfed has always offered high milk purchase prices to its milk producers, especially during the Covid pandemic when the private buyers not only stopped buying milk but also drastically reduced the milk procurement prices.
He appealed to all the milk producers to strengthen the milk co-operative societies of Verka by pouring maximum milk during the summer period so that Verka gets more milk and profits thus earned are utilized to strengthen the milk co-operative societies & improve the socio-economic position of milk producers by giving them better price
Milkfed Managing Director, Kamaldeep Singh Sangha said that after agriculture, milk production is the main occupation of rural population. Milkfed is already paying higher milk procurement price to its milk producers as compared to other neighboring states. Further, to encourage its milk producers Milkfed is increasing its milk procurement price by Rs 20 per kg fat w.e.f. 21.05.2022. Milkfed has previously also increased its milk procurement price on 01.03.2022, 01.04.2022 & 21.04.2022 by Rs. 20, 20 & 10 per kg fat respectively.
After value addition of milk procured from milk producers, the milk products manufactured are sold in the market about 80% of the revenue thus generated is returned back to the milk producers in the shape of milk procurement price, various input services, subsidies etc.