Milk supply hit only in a few parts during strike

CHENNAI: Milk supply was unaffected in the city on Tuesday despite the strike by milk producers as the surplus from the districts was diverted here. Aavin officials said operations and procurement had resumed in Perambalur and only parts of Salem, Erode and Dharmapuri had been hit.

Milk producers and suppliers, however, said the shortage would be felt only on Wednesday. Tamil Nadu State Milk Producers Welfare Association president Sengottuvel claimed that 75% of milk procurement was hit. "In Tiruchi, the procurement was only 40,000 litres of the required 1.4 lakh litres, while in Erode it was 40,000-50,000 litres against the demand of 1.5 lakh litres. The shortage will be felt only on Wednesday," he said

Sengottuvel added that the strike would continue as no talks were held over the issue of raising the prices of cow milk and buffalo milk by Rs 5 and Rs 8 respectively.

He claimed that the state government was procuring milk powder from other states to be mixed with butter and sold as milk on Wednesday and that such a move would affect the health of the people.

An Aavin official said: "We are not going to raise the prices further and pass them on to customers." Aavin distributes 10.5 lakh litres of milk to the city and around 10 lakh litres in the state.