Chamarajanagara: The Chamarajanagara District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Societies’ Union Limited (CHAMUL) has recorded 1.5 Crore profit for the year ending 2020-21. The CHAMUL operating in one of the backward districts of the State since just last 6 years has achieved this Laurel amid amid Covid distress.
Speaking to NewsKarnataka CHAMUL President H. S. Nanjunda Prasad said that the Covid has affected the district two and half years ago. Despite our sincere efforts to prevent collapse of sales, the sales fell. But we could not stop procuring the milk in the interest of farmers. He said if we stopped procurement of milk that would ensure more profit for the union but it badly impacts farmers who depending upon dairy farming for livelihood.
The CHAMUL continued procurement of milk as usual but explored export market. The CHAMUL succeeded in exporting milk and produces to Nepal and Bhutan. If the union could not sell milk it should be converted as milk powder. But producing milk powder is not profitable, he noted.
CHAMUL was formed in the year 2015 by bifurcating Mysore District Milk Producers’ Union. The then District In-Charge Minister H. S. Mahadeva Prasad was instrumental in establishing the CHAMUL.
Nanjunda Prasad said that our main aim is to safeguard the interests of the milk producers. The CHAMUL is providing Rs. 5 lakh honorarium to secretaries who have been serving in unions for 25 years, Rs. 3 lakh for milk inspectors and Rs. 2 lakh for assistants during their retirement. The union took this decision in its management body meeting keeping in mind that the employees of the union are getting very less retirement benefits and no pension from the Government. He said the honorarium is being paid from farmers’ welfare fund.
CHAMUL is procuring 2.5 lakh liters of milk daily from 458 milk procuring centers spread across the District. It has chilling centres at Chamarajanagara with capacity of 60000 litres per day, in Kollegala with 40,000 litres per day, this in all a total of one lakh litres per day. Also there are 79 bulk milk coolers. CHAMUL is expected to record more profit in the coming years.