MADURAI: Milk procurement by Aavin in Madurai has declined by 4,000 litres per day following five days of rain, as waterlogged grazing lands and muddy grass allegedly affected cattle grazing and milk yield.
According to Aavin officials, milk procurement dropped from 1.48 lakh litres on October 22 to 1.44 lakh litres on October 26.
Speaking to TNIE, AC Venmani, a milk farmer, said the hot weather had earlier affected milk yield in his cooperative societies. The subsequent rains brought some relief by encouraging fresh grass to grow on open lands. However, continuous rainfall over the past few days had left grazing areas waterlogged, making it difficult for cattle to graze.
Another farmer, T Inbaraj of Usilampatti, who owns around 14 cows, said he had noticed a decline in milk yield coinciding with the recent rainfall in the taluk. A cow that previously produced 12 litres of milk per day was now yielding only 10 litres, he said, adding that the cold and rainy conditions could be affecting milk production.
A senior Aavin official in Madurai said the decline was temporary and attributed it to weather-related stress among cattle. “These animals do not like either the hot summer or cold weather. When they are stressed, such changes occur. During rainfall, grazing time is also reduced,” the official said.
The official expressed confidence that procurement would recover and reach 1.85 lakh litres per day by the end of October. Meanwhile, Aavin has increased the supply of cattle feed to milk cooperative societies to 337 tonnes this month.