22 May,2017 08:45 AM IST | Mumbai | Vinod Kumar Menon
Crisis looms as low procuring price forces sellers to choose private options; Aarey Milk dairy says the 10,000 litres it has will be supplied only to hospitals
The dairy's market share has gone from 100% monopoly to just 1% in Mumbai. File Pic
This morning, don't wait for your daily supply of Aarey Milk. "Doodh naslyane somvari booth var doodh yenar nahin". This matter-of-fact SMS was all that Aarey Milk distributors got on Sunday, to inform them that there would be no supply of milk on Monday. But they know all too well that this is the beginning of the end.
Hundreds of Mumbaikars will be deprived of their morning cup of tea or milk on Monday, as the Aarey Milk supply has dried to a trickle, touching an all-time low of 13,000 litres.
Compare this to 60,000 litres, from just a few months ago. Sources at the Worli dairy confirmed, "From January to April, the supply had come down from 60,000 litres to 35,000 litres. On Sunday, the supply came to an all-time low of 13,000 litres."
This miniscule amount will be only be supplied to hospitals, children's homes and prisons, said a senior dairy official. However, none of the milk will make its way to the Aarey booths across Mumbai.
Also read: Are politicians milking Aarey dry to sell Rs 4,000 crore land?
The official told this reporter that shortage is the result of the same old problem of lower government rates. "Farmers are unwilling to sell their milk to Aarey for just Rs 24 per litre, when they can get Rs 28-Rs 29 per litre from private players. Milk supply also gets affected in the summer season, normally. But if the government rates don't improve, there is no helping Aarey dairy even after the summer ends," the official warned.
The Worli dairy, a prime seaside property, is ripe for picking if Aarey Milk were to die. File Pic
Hospital staff worried
What's worrying is that the shortage seems to be indefinite, since neither dairy staffers nor distributors are sure whether the supply will pick up after this. And hospital officials fear that their supply will be hit next.
Not only do the hospitals get a subsidised supply of Aarey Milk, but doctors also recommend it for patients and children because of its superior nutritional content. At Nair Hospital, a kitchen staffer said that so far, their milk supply has not been affected and they are getting their daily requirement of 640-660 litres. "We are so used to Aarey's quality; it is the best. We can't even think of using any other brand. The priority will be to give the milk to newborns and expecting mothers, to paediatric patients and then to the others," he said.
At Rajawadi hospital, the daily requirement is 200 litres. "We only give eggs and milk to patients as they are first-class protein. Each patient is given 400 ml of milk a day. If adequate supply is not received from the dairy, the patients will be deprived of a healthy protein diet," said a senior staffer.
Prasad Narvekar, Milk Transporter and Distributor
Distributors suffer
Meanwhile, ancillary businesses that depend on Aarey Milk are also suffering losses. Take Prasad Narvekar, a milk transporter and distributor who covers Bhandup and Mulund (W) for Aarey Milk. While his costs have remained the same, his profits have dried up just like the milk supply. "I started off supplying around 300 crates of milk, with each crate containing 10 litres of milk. This went down to 133 crates, and now, I will only get 6-10 crates. Because I supply to a few hospitals like MT Agarwal Hospital and the Bhandup and Mulund maternity homes, I will still have to send my vehicle, just to get 6 to 10 crates. I will incur losses, as I will still have to bear the cost of fuel and staff," he said.
"We recently had a meeting with senior dairy development officials, but they bluntly said that if it was not viable for us to transport the milk, then we should not continue with this business," he added.
mid-day had reported in 2014 that politicians had done little to help revive Aarey Milk, giving credence to fears of a conspiracy to milk it dry and instead make a killing off the prime land held by the dairy. The Worli dairy, for instance, is spread across 14 acres of prime sea-facing land, with a market value of over Rs 3,000 crore.
Dairy official says
DD Kulkarni, general manager of the Worli dairy confirmed the shortage, but tried to play it down, saying, "There is no shortage of milk in the city, as the public will get sufficient supply from other brands. We only cater to 1% percent of demand anyway. From 100% monopoly, Aarey Milk has come down to just 1% of the city."
Asked how long the problem would continue, he said, "Short supply of the Aarey brand for a day or two won't affect our existing loyal customers."
On the purchase price, he said, "In most states, the government is out of the picture, and private cooperatives run the dairy. However, here, even today the government is purchasing milk from farmers. If the farmers get a good price from private cooperatives, then it is good for them."
Asked why efforts were not being made to revive the dairy, he said only, "These are government decisions and we cannot comment."
