Parthasarathi Biswas

Yogesh Thorat, managing director of MahaFPC, said the consortium has decided to regulate operations to avoid crowding at its centres due to the health crisis.

Significantly, until at least mid-March, there was talk of India’s milk output falling for the first time in 2019-20. It was being projected that the country would have to import up to one lakh tonnes of skimmed milk powder.

The coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has seen reduced sales in the dairy sector, as hotels, restaurants, catering services and sweetmeat shops, among others, have been closed down.

Concerned over their safety, labourers have started leaving their places of work while in some mills in western Maharashtra had gone on a strike

Former minister of state Sadabhau Khot, who is an MLC and was a minister in former Devendra Fadnavis-led government, said the family in question had traveled to Islampur from New Delhi on a domestic flight on March 15.

Trade at the wholesale market had come to a standstill as the main stakeholders decided to remain away in view of the rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Most of the migrant harvesting staff at the mills hail from Beed and other districts of Marathwada, and they travel to various parts of the state for work at the beginning of the season. Once the season ends, these labourers travel back to their native villages.

Dairies in Mahrashtra have claimed that around 10 lakh liters out of the 1 crore liters collected per day remained unsold on a daily basis due to the nationwide lockdown announced to contain the spread of coronavirus.

“Companies who introduce newer technologies invest in its research and development. In case they see no return on their investments, why would they introduce the same for our farmers?”

But there’s a new problem springing up -- shortage of labour in mandis.

With a daily milk procurement of around 12 lakh liters per day, Gokul’s procurement is across the districts of Kolhapur, Sangli and some parts of Karnataka. The union also has strong retail presence in the cities of Kolhapur, Pune, Mumbai Sangli among other areas.

At Karad’s Krishna cooperative sugar mill in Satara, following the labourers’ decision not to work, they were released and operations wound down, though the harvest workers will continue to live in the fields until the 21-day lockdown period ends.

On Sunday, a two-year-old boy had tested positive for coronavirus. He is from the same family of 24 who had earlier tested positive.

While Sahyadri Farms, the Nashik-based FPC, has started delivering to urban markets of Pune, Mumbai and Nashik, the group of farmers producing residue-free vegetables in Nashik have taken to testing the city's retail market to directly sell their produce.

Price of skimmed milk powder (SMP) which was at Rs. 340 per kg, has since come down to Rs. 250 per kg, making dairies whose main business is in commodities facing the music

While presenting the 2020-21 state budget earlier this month, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had claimed that Rs 9,035-crore worth of outstanding loans of 13.86 lakh farmers has been waived off since the scheme was announced.

150 home delivery boys have been employed, with their salaries being paid by shops and local social organisations.

India coronavirus lockdown: What is the domestic availability situation in foodstuffs? To what extent would the restrictions impact it? We explain.

“To avoid unnecessary panic, only those who have been identified as potential contacts have been communicated with and advised for next steps they need to take,” the mail said.