Chennai: More than 60% of the milk procured by Aavin in 10 district cooperative milk unions during May failed to meet prescribed quality standards, raising concerns over suspected adulteration and mounting financial losses for the state-run dairy federation.
Official procurement records reviewed by The New Indian Express indicate that a significant share of milk collected from districts including Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Vellore, Ranipet, Villupuram, Virudhunagar and Kanniyakumari fell below the minimum quality benchmarks of 4% fat and 8% solids-not-fat (SNF). Under normal circumstances, industry officials say, only 10–20% of procured milk typically falls short of these standards.
According to Aavin officials, the decline in quality is primarily attributed to suspected dilution of milk with water at the producer level, a practice considered adulteration because it not only lowers fat and SNF levels but can also introduce contaminants.
Districts Report Highest Quality Failures
The data reveals particularly high levels of non-compliance in southern Tamil Nadu:
- Kanniyakumari and Virudhunagar recorded the highest failure rates, with nearly 90% of milk samples failing to meet the minimum quality norms.
- In Vellore, around 84% of the 94,000 litres procured contained less than the required 4% fat, while 82% failed the SNF benchmark.
- Thanjavur reported that only 38% of the 37,100 litres procured met the fat requirement, while just 37% achieved the prescribed SNF level.
- In Villupuram, nearly 78% of the 46,200 litres collected fell below the minimum fat content.
By contrast, Karur and Tiruppur emerged as top performers, with 93–95% of milk meeting the federation’s quality standards.
Financial Burden on Aavin
Aavin currently procures around 32 lakh litres of milk daily. Officials warn that poor-quality procurement significantly increases production costs.
“When milk contains less than the prescribed fat and SNF levels, the federation has to purchase additional milk powder and butter to standardise the milk before producing higher-fat variants such as Green Magic and Full Cream milk,” an Aavin official said. District unions have now been directed to intensify monitoring and curb adulteration at procurement centres.
Industry Points to Economic Pressures
Representatives of dairy farmers argue that the deterioration in milk quality is linked to broader economic challenges rather than deliberate malpractice alone.
M.G. Rajendran, president of the Tamil Nadu Milk Producers’ Welfare Association, said private dairies currently offer ₹6–₹12 more per litre than Aavin, encouraging many producers to divert higher-quality milk to private buyers.
He also cited rising cattle feed prices and inadequate investment in nutritional supplements such as mineral mixtures, factors that can naturally reduce milk fat and SNF content.
Procurement Pricing Under Scrutiny
Aavin currently pays ₹38 per litre for cow milk and ₹47 per litre for buffalo milk, including a ₹3 incentive for milk meeting the prescribed quality parameters of 4.3% fat and 8.2% SNF.
With procurement quality deteriorating across several districts, the issue is likely to intensify debate over whether current procurement prices are sufficient to retain quality suppliers and discourage adulteration.
Industry observers note that if the trend continues, Aavin could face higher processing costs, pressure on product quality, and increased competition from private dairy companies, underscoring the need for stronger quality surveillance alongside a review of procurement economics.
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