COIMBATORE: Aavin milk reached distribution points across Coimbatore city only at 7.45 am on Wednesday, nearly three hours after the scheduled 4.30 am delivery to agents' points.
Agents say the delay has continued for the past three weeks, forcing many to travel to the main distribution centre at Race Course to collect milk themselves. The late supply has disrupted door-to-door delivery and supplies to retail shops. Several shops remained without milk until after 8 am as agents received their stocks late.
"Not only today, we have been facing this issue every day for the last three weeks. Milk should reach our points by 4.30 am, but it is delayed by two to three hours. This leads to angry customers. Daytime supply, which should arrive by 12 noon, often comes only at 2 pm. We have repeatedly raised the matter with the management, but there has been no proper response," an agent said.
Customers have also complained of irregular or cancelled supplies in recent days. Many said they were forced to buy private-brand milk at a higher price, even though they preferred Aavin.
R Shanmugam, General Manager of Aavin Coimbatore, acknowledged the delays and attributed them primarily to sharp and frequent increases in the quantity of milk ordered by agents.
"The private milk companies recently raised their prices. Several Aavin agents who also handle private brands have been revising their indents every day, increasing orders by 10,000-15,000 litres. Aavin Coimbatore currently procures over 1.10 lakh litres from local producers but processes up to 3.10 lakh litres daily for Coimbatore, Tiruppur and the Nilgiris. To meet the demand, we are buying additional milk from the Karnataka milk federation," he said.
He said that the unit had tried to streamline the process by asking agents to finalise their indents by 4 pm each day. After agents protested, the deadline was extended to 6 pm. Sudden large increases in orders still force the plant to process milk under time pressure. After processing, the milk must be cooled for two hours to 4°C before it can be loaded. Delayed return of empty trays by agents is another major cause of the late despatches, he added. The administration is working to resolve the issue, he said.
District Collector and Chairman for the Coimbatore District Cooperative Milk Producers Union (Aavin), Coimbatore, Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar told TNIE that the Aavin team has been directed to assess the problems and find a solution.
