Chennai, June 13 (PTI) PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday urged the Tamil Nadu government to ensure an uninterrupted supply of state-owned Aavin milk, expressing concern over a reported shortage of its popular standardised variant.
In a statement, he said, “Reports indicating a significant reduction in the supply of Aavin standardised milk (green magic) with 4.5 per cent fat content across Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, are deeply concerning.” Claiming that the reduction of regular milk supply forces the general public to purchase private brands by shelling out an additional Rs 24 per litre, he said, “it is entirely unjust for Aavin to cut down on the supply of a milk variant predominantly consumed by the poor and middle class.” Highlighting the scale of shortage, he said, “In Chennai alone, Aavin sells up to 14 lakh litres of standardised milk daily, accounting for the largest share at 7.5 lakh liters. However, reports suggest that its supply has now been drastically cut down to 3.5 lakh liters and there are underlying plans to phase it out completely in the coming days.” “If these reports are true, it will severely impact poor and middle-class families.” “It is alleged that the production cost of Aavin (green) stands at Rs 51 per litre, but it is retailed at Rs 44, resulting in a loss of Rs 7 per liter. Aavin is reportedly scaling back its operations to manage this deficit. However, shrinking the business of the most sought-after milk variant by citing losses is unacceptable”, he said.
The former union minister urged the government to stay true to its welfare objective and said Aavin should abandon any plan to stop fresh milk sales and ensure uninterrupted distribution. PTI SNR SNR ROH
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