DDC importing fresh milk from India Dairy Development Corporation ( DDC ) has started importing fresh milk from India to make up for a deficit in local production. According to DDC , demand for milk has jumped 10-50 percent while supply has dropped 10-15 percent. “Due to falling production in the domestic market, we have been buying 20,000-30,000 l of milk daily from Patna, India during the last 10 days,” said DDC General Manager Siyaram Prasad Singh. “We have received an import licence from the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control to buy Indian milk.” According to Singh, the daily requirement for DDC milk amounts to 225,000 l while production is 160,000 l. He said that demand for fresh milk had increased mainly in Butwal, Kohalpur and Dhangadhi apart from the Kathmandu valley. “Demand has increased by around 50 percent in these three places while demand in the valley is up 10 percent,” he said. Singh attributed the fall in supply to decreasing production. “In general, cows and buffaloes produce less milk every three years. Farmers have reported that their cattle were giving less milk this year,” he added. Milk production also dropped after farmers began selling their animals for meat enticed by higher profits. Buff prices have soared after chicken sales were banned due to bird flu outbreaks. “A number of farmers have reportedly sold their buffaloes due to higher profits as buff prices have risen.” DDC has been forced to buy milk from India even though the flush season for milk production lasts from mid-August to mid-March. The last time the company imported fresh milk from India was three years ago. It stopped doing so about one and a half years ago after domestic production swelled. Meanwhile, DDC said it was considering importing milk powder too to fulfil the rise in demand. The state-owned company produces 35,000 l of milk daily from its milk powder plant in Biratnagar but demand outstrips supply. “We are holding talks with the Patna-based milk producing cooperative to purchase 2.5 tonnes of milk powder daily,” said Singh. Singh added that there would be no shortages of milk during the coming festivals as they had planned to import milk till Tihar. “However, we may stop imports if local farmers increase production.” DDC processes and markets milk collected from 900 farmer cooperatives and 60 chilling centres located across the country.
Posted on: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 08:32:18 +0000
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