The state government has set up the Kutch District Cooperative Milk Union or ‘Sarhad Dairy’. The union is expected to begin collection of milk from the farmers in several areas of the district by this Diwali.

According to state cooperative department, there are over two lakh milch cattle in Kutch district as per the 2007 animal census, but the milk producers are not able to fetch better prices due to dearth of marketing facilities. At present, there are 27 village level primary milk cooperative unions, but farmers are not fetching a good price as the milk is mostly sold locally.

According to official sources, Kutch milk producers attached with these unions hardly fetch Rs 13 to 14 per litre while their counterparts in other districts affiliated to the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) fetch anything between Rs 17 and 20 per litre depending on the fat content. Besides, the payment to milk producers in Kutch is also reported to be irregular.

Kutch district registrar H N Darji told The Indian Express that the 400 km distance between the eastern and western part of Kutch was the 290 km distance between its northern and southern end made transportation of milk very difficult. Initially it is being proposed to set up two bulk milk chilling plants in the east and west from where milk could be transported to the nearest dairy.

According to Darji, Kutch has a vast potential to increase its milk production because of the availability of fodder. Besides, most of the villagers were involved in animal husbandry, he added.

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