Archive · 28 Jul 2025
Maharashtra Dairy Farmers Struggle Amid Low Milk Prices
Imagine farmers who raise cows for milk.
They sell the milk to companies, but the companies are paying them less than it costs to make the milk.
This is because the prices of things like food for the cows and the workers' pay have gone up.
Also, the government used to help by giving money, but they stopped.
Now, the farmers are worried because the price they get for milk might go down even more soon.
If the price drops, it will be very hard for farmers to keep their businesses running.
Maharashtra dairy farmers face challenges due to low milk procurement prices, causing financial strain.
The cost of milk production is higher than the procurement price, leading to losses for farmers.
Farmers are struggling with increased costs of feed and labor, making the dairy business unviable.
The state government's subsidy of Rs 5 per litre, announced in 2024, has been stopped.
Farmers are concerned about further price drops due to the upcoming 'flush' period with increased milk production.
- Who
- Dairy farmers like Amarsingh Kadam and Yogesh Sapkal are affected.
- What
- Dairy farmers in Maharashtra are facing financial difficulties due to low milk procurement prices and high production costs.
- When
- The challenges have been ongoing for the last few months, with concerns growing since January.
- Where
- Maharashtra, particularly in Pune's Indapur taluka.
- Why
- Low milk procurement prices, high production costs (feed and labor), and the stopped government subsidy are contributing to the farmers' financial strain.
Farmers' Perspective
Industry Perspective (Implied)
Profitability
Farmers' Perspective
Low milk procurement prices and high production costs are making dairy farming financially unsustainable for farmers.
Industry Perspective (Implied)
N/A
- Procurement Price
- Rs 32 per litre
- Production Cost (approx.)
- Rs 35-40 per litre
- Milk Sold Daily (Amarsingh Kadam)
- 300 litres
- Cows in Kadam's Herd
- 30 (plus 12 too old to produce milk)
- Subsidy (Stopped)
- Rs 5 per litre
- SMP Domestic Price
- Rs 235 per kg