Nandini entry: Alarmed farmers, milk co-operatives seek govt support

Wayanad: While the Milma and Nandini are engaged in a turf war ever since the Karnataka brand rolled out its expansion plan, dairy farmers and local milk co-operatives of Wayanad are a worried lot.

They have demanded the state government's urgent intervention to avoid the invasion of a large co-operative into the Milma's domain and ensure that the dairy farmers end up cutting a sorry figure at the end of the tussle.

Nandini, the milk brand of the Karnataka Co-operative Milk Producers’ Federation, has started expanding its marketing network in Kerala on a gradual pace. It's half-a-litre sachet is priced Rs 2 less than Milma, inviting protest from its Kerala counterpart and the farmers.  

Dairy farmers have already organised varied protests across the district urging the state government to 'check the threat to the agrarian milk economy'. 

They marched with their cows at Kalpetta town recently, and more modes of agitations are on the anvil. Wayanad Milk, a regional milk co-operative based at Sulthan Bathery, is planning widespread campaigns, including marketing intervention as well as awareness creation among consumers, against the assumed threat from Nandini. 

The co-operative, with 3,600 farmers associated with it, collects 40,000 liters of milk every day and caters to customers in Kannur, Kozhikode, and Wayanad districts.

“Though we are yet to face any stiff competition from Nandini, we are started our marketing as well as awareness initiatives against its entry,” said K K Poulose, president of Wayanad Milk. “In the long run, this clash for the market share will be a drain on the farmers’ kitty,” Poulose pointed out.

Protesting farmers say Nandini can sell milk in Kerala Rs 4 less than the market price. "Milma and Wayanad milk cannot as we pay a high price for farmers," the official said.

"Milma, which has now come out with its own ad blitzkrieg against Nandini, has also adopted the same marketing strategy against smaller co-operatives like us selling milk Rs lower than our price," he said.

However, P T Gopalakurup, former chairman of Milma, told Onmanorama that the present clash of farmers’ co-operatives of two states for the state’s market should have been avoided by the Milma. “To best of my knowledge, the present issue has its origin in the summer season this year, when Karnataka and Tamil Nadu refused to supply sufficient milk to Milma which was facing an acute shortage,” Mr Kurup said. “The Thiruvananthapuram Union of Milma used to purchase as many as 2 lakh liters of milk from Karnataka every day and during the festival season it would further go up”, he added.

But this summer, Milma had to source milk from Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra which continues even now, he said. “I feel a solution could be reached easily if there is an open discussion at a higher level between the two camps”, he pointed out.   

For decades dairy has been the lifeline for thousands of farmers in Wayanad as it ensured a steady as well as daily income to as many as 20,000 farming families, as per the data of the district dairy department. With a daily production of 2.59 lakh liters of milk per day, more than Rs 1 core goes into the families every day at the current market price.