Bhubaneswar: Of the 50 crore litres of milk produced in India, Odisha contributes around 70-90 lakh litres, which is only 1.25%. According to Senior GM of Amul Manoranjan Pani, milk production in Odisha can be increased if the farmers get a better price rather than prices being consumer-centric.
Pani, who was speaking at a webinar on ‘Scopes and Opportunities for Dairy Farming in Odisha’, organized by Odisha Corporate Foundation (OCF), was of the opinion that the pricing should be need based, keeping in mind consumers’ choice and taste.
Pani observed that though milk is a perishable item, thanks to technology it can now be stored for up to 180 days in tetra packs.
The other speakers in the webinar were MD of Technocomm Solutions Manoj Sahoo, Director of Sandhyarani Dairy Shakti Samanta, Director of Mamata Dairy Dr Bimal Choudhury and IT & Agro expert Manoj Kar, who was also the moderator.
Dr Choudhury said instead of selling raw milk, a milk farmer should sell value-added products like paneer which will fetch him more money.
Sahu said it was important to package milk in an attractive way, but the most important factor is the quality of the product.
Samanta echoed Sahu’s thought, saying demand in the market should be studied and quality should never be compromised.
