Maharashtra: Lactalis Prabhat increases milk procurement

Located in Ahmednagar district of the state, Prabhat, on an average, reports 12 lakh litres of per day procurement in the district.

Being a multi-state player, Mitra said it was possible for them to accept excess milk and divert it to units where milk was short in supply.

“We have plants in Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh…the excess milk is sent to those units in tankers. This way, we are able to keep up our normal procurement levels and also accommodate excess milk which comes our way,” he said.

A group company of the French dairy giant Lactalis, Prabhat was the third Indian acquisition of the group.

With parts of Ahmednagar district reporting COVID-19 patients, the dairy has initiated multiple steps to ensure norms of social distancing and hygiene is followed at its dairy units and collection centres.

Mitra said they have ensured proper social distancing norms are followed at the village level collection centres while at the dairies, compulsory hand washing and frequent sanitising of the premises have been instituted.

Being a mostly B2B player, Mitra admitted that their sales in terms of cheese and other products have taken a hit during the lockdown. “But this is a temporary move — we are sure this will improve once the lockdown is removed,” he said.