Milma’s Ernakulam Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (ERCMPU) will pay an extra ₹7 a litre to milk societies under it, with ₹5 a litre going to the farmers. The decision was taken at a meeting of the ERCMPU in Kochi on January 25. This is the biggest incentive by far in the dairy sector in the country, claimed ERCMPU chairman M.T. Jayan.
The major beneficiaries of the ERCMPU decision will be its 1,000-plus cooperative societies and farmers for the next two months (February 1 to March 31). Of the amount, ₹2 will go to the cooperative society. The ₹2 per litre must be used to pay employees’ salary and meet office expenses, according to the ERCMPU.
The union envisages an annual extra expenditure of ₹13 crore on account of the decision. Milma collects three lakh litres of milk a day from farmers in Idukki, Kottayam, Thrissur and Ernakulam districts.
The union has kept apart ₹17 crore to clear the pay revision arrears over the past three years. The ERCMPU’s pioneering comprehensive cattle insurance and animal welfare schemes worth ₹5 crore is “going ahead without any hiccups”, Mr. Jayan said. The union will spend another ₹10 crore this financial year from its operating profit for the benefit of the farmers and societies in the four districts, he added.
Source : The Hindu Jan 25th 2024