Chandigarh4 minutes agoAuthor: Gulshan Kumar
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The effect of lumpy in the festival season was clearly visible on the prices of dairy products especially milk and ghee.
After all, what the experts were fearing happened, what happened. The effect of lumpy in the festival season is clearly visible on the prices of dairy products especially milk and ghee. In the last 3 months, the price of desi ghee has increased by Rs 135 per kg.
The demand and supply of desi ghee in the market has also been affected. In July, the wholesale price of one kg of desi ghee was Rs 430, which has now reached Rs 565. The price in retail ranges from Rs 590 to Rs 650. Recently, the price of milk has also increased by Rs 2 per liter. Due to the cost of milk and ghee, this time the prices of sweets and other products made from ghee have also increased by Rs 20 to 30 per kg.
It is noteworthy that in Punjab, 50,000 cows have died due to lumpi. The production of 35 lakh liters of milk per day has also come down. Expenditure on labour, transportation and fodder has also increased.
Desi Ghee was Rs 430 per kg in wholesale 3 months ago, which has now reached Rs 565
Milk production was 345 lakh liters per day in 2021
Milk production in Punjab increased continuously from 2012 to 2019 but after that it started declining. According to the Progressive Dairy Farmers Association, Punjab produced 345 lakh liters of milk per day in 2021, which has come down to 310 lakh liters in 2022.
Its effect can be clearly seen on the prices of dairy products. Till 2019, the per capita milk availability in Punjab was the highest at 1181 grams per day. Now it has come down to 70 to 80 grams.
12 percent of large dairy farms have closed in 3 years
According to the data received from the largest Progressive Dairy Farmers Association of Punjab, the official figures of increase in livestock and milk production in Punjab are only till 2019. Till then the production of milk was increasing but the real problem started only after that.
In the last 3 years, 10 to 12 percent of large dairy farms have been closed. Even small dairy farmers having 5 to 10 cattle at the village level have now left work due to inflation and other reasons. The government has now increased the price of milk. All these factors are behind the rise in prices.
Fodder cost increased by up to 70%, prices will increase further
In the last 3 years, 10 per cent of dairy farmers have left work due to non-increasing milk prices. The prices of fodder and animal feed have gone up by 70 per cent. More than 50 thousand milch animals have died due to the lumpi virus. The official figure is only 15 thousand. Many people have not even told anyone about this. Milk production is falling in Punjab. The prices of milk products will increase further in the coming days.
Daljit Singh Sadarpura, President Progressive Dairy Farmers Association