Instead of reducing the procurement of milk during the lockdown period when sale of milk was low, the state owned ‘ Aanchal dairy’ purchased more from milk producers. This move financially supported more than 50,000 milk producers as the dairy paid Rs 45 crore to them during three months of lockdown.

According to the data released by the Dairy Development Department of Uttarakhand, two lakh  litres of milk was daily procured from 2,551 village-level cooperatives based in 13 districts till May end, this year. These milk cooperatives have 51,121 members, mostly villagers and farmers, who supply milk to the Aanchal Dairy.

The Uttarakhand Dairy Development secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram said, “Our main focus is on uninterrupted procurement of milk and payments to members of the cooperative members. During the lockdown, all the cooperative members had a regular source of income for supplying the milk and the payments were made directly into their bank accounts.  The factors like climate, environment and awareness in our state makes it a natural hub for the start-ups involved in the milk and milk products’’.

The Joint director, Aanchal Dairy, Jaideep Arora said, “We did not reduce the procurement of milk during the lockdown and used surplus milk for products like milk power and white butter. Foraying into the white butter and milk powder helped the Aanchal Dairy into stocking milk products with greater shelf life.  Hundred tons of white butter will be sold to customers and 200 tonnes of milk powders will be used in Anganwadi schemes and mid-day meals in schools across the state’’.