Pune: Milk Supply Chain Disrupted In Many Areas Due To Weekend Lockdown Curbs

Indu Bhagat
Pune, 10th April 2021: On the first day of the weekend lockdown, the milk supply chain in the city has been disrupted in many areas. Milk selling is allowed from 6 am to 11 am on Saturday and Sunday. Residents from Bavdhan, Lohegaon, and BT Kawade Road area complained about milk shortage.

According to the new guidelines, all shops except those that sell milk and medicines will remain shut on weekends. Many shopkeepers are refusing to purchase milk from suppliers because they are not able to sell their entire stock in the limited time period and fear police action against them. However, many shopkeepers also said that they have not received supply.

Dairy industry operators said, “We are facing maximum problems at the marketing side. Due to the restrictions, we can only operate for a few hours and that restricts our sale. Milk is a perishable commodity so we have to sell it the same day. The milk packets have only two days validity for use. Residents are also ensuring they do not step outside their homes and have stopped buying milk in large quantities. Instead of increasing, the demand for milk is coming down.”

Irshad Hussain, a shopkeeper from Lohegaon, said, “The distributor had informed us yesterday that there will be no milk supply today. As we didn’t have any stock, we kept the shop closed. The distributor will inform in the afternoon whether there will be milk supply on Sunday or not.”

Manisha Dugal, an IT professional from Bavdhan complained about not getting milk, “I haven’t got any milk today, I called my distributor this morning, and he said he won’t be able to supply due to shortage in the shop, but he assured me that tomorrow I’ll get it”.

Prakash Kutwal, Secretary of Maharashtra Milk Producer and Association, said, “Shopkeepers have cut down on milk purchases due to the restrictions on market operations, fear of wastage and drop in customers.”

He further added that grocery retailers have also cut down milk purchase due to the uncertainty in the market as to how much they would be able to sell due to the restrictions on operation timings of stores.

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