MLA and BEMUL Chairman Balachandra Jarkiholi speaking to reporters in Belagavi on April 15, 2025.
| Photo Credit: P.K. BADIGER
“Belagavi District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (BEMUL) has achieved a profit of ₹13.20 crore in the last year. This is unprecedented since the establishment of the union in 1985,” Balachandra Jarkiholi , Chairman of BEMUL, said in Belagavi on April 15.
“We have done so well that it has surpassed our expectations. It has been achieved only through prudent fiscal management and avoiding unnecessary expenditure,” the MLA told reporters.
“The previous year, we clocked a modest profit of ₹68 lakh. However, this time, we have earned a profit of ₹13.20 crore. This has happened due to corruption-free administration, less funds used for the annual general meetings, and non-receipt of TA and DA by the members of the management board, and other reform measures,” he said.
“The total turnover of BEMUL was ₹399.50 crore. This was higher than last year’s turnover of ₹320.83 crore. The profit has increased by about 24%. However, the union will not keep the profit for itself. It will distribute them among the farmers and reinvest it in strengthening the institution, like setting up machinery, decentralising the procurement and processing operations, and setting up units to produce milk by-products,” the Chairman said.
Profits will be used for the welfare of milk producers, associations, contract workers, security guards, according to him.
The union has established a total of 1,002 milk producers’ cooperative societies in Belagavi district. Out of these, 610 milk producers’ cooperative societies are operational. Out of these, 160 are women’s societies. So far, share capital amounting to ₹622.10 lakh has been collected. There is a main dairy with a capacity of 1.50 lakh litres in Belagavi, cold storage centres with a capacity of 30,000 litres each in Ramadurga and Athani. It has a processing unit with a capacity of 60,000 litres in Raibag. A total of 39 BMC units have been established under the Central Government’s pure milk production and special package schemes. The Plexi Pack unit has a daily milk packing capacity of 80,000 litres.
“As many as 43 new associations were established in the year 2024-25. An average of 2.10 lakh kg of milk is being procured daily. Compared to last year, there has been an increase of 22%. Also, a total of 12,797 cows have been provided insurance facilities at a concessional rate of 75% by the union. ₹1.22 crore has been provided via insurance to the owners of 245 cows that died. Artificial insemination services have been provided to 1,34,138 cows,” he said.
“About 80 lakh litres of milk have been sold from the Plexi Unit to the local market and to the neighbouring State of Andhra Pradesh, 3,80,516 litres of ghee have been sold, 41,12,820 litres of curd have been sold, 1,73,746 kg of paneer has been sold, 74,245 kg of kunda has been sold. new 10-kg bucket yogurt sale has been started. 50 to 100 buckets of yogurt are being packed and sold daily in the markets of Belagavi district and in the neighbouring State of Goa,” he said.
The association has released buffalo milk to the Mumbai market, and 5,000 litres of milk are being sold daily.
Last February, 2.50 lakh buttermilk packets of 130 ml pack were supplied to Saundatti Sri Yallamma temple.
An annual saving of ₹2.52 crore has been made in expenses.
The union is looking for land to set up a large dairy near a river bed or dam with access to the National Highway. “We are planning to set up a high-tech mega dairy with new technology at a cost of ₹350 crore,” the Chairman said.
“The government of Karnataka is yet to release ₹9 crore production incentive to farmers from December 2024,” he said.
Published – April 16, 2025 10:04 am IST
