Heat wave affects milk collection in Gujarat

The heat wave conditions have affected milk procurement in Gujarat, dairy industry sources said here today.
    
Ravindra  Mathur, managing director of Baroda Dairy said while the demand for products like ice cream and butter milk has gone up due to rising temperatures, the supply of milk has gone down as buffaloes are quite sensitive to heat conditions.
    
According to Mathur, milk procurement by his dairy has gone down from 4.75 lakh litres per day to around 4 lakh litres now.
    
The fall in milk collection has also been reported from other parts of the state and collection at places like Surat, Mehsana and Banaskantha has taken a beating, according to dairy industry sources.
    
Normally milk collection falls in the month of May and June. But this time the milk procurement has been hit in April itself.
    
Narendra Mukhi, president of Baroda Dairy said his diary has started offering higher prices for the milk procured.
     
About 2.95 lakh milk producers supplying milk to Baroda Dairy will get Rs10 more per kilo fat milk from April 21.