Aarey Dairy restores milk supply to BMC-run hospitals, Mahanand Dairy, the alternative, may now lose out

Mumbai After almost two months of discontinuing its milk supply to hospitals run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Aarey Dairy has started providing milk again, easing the crisis situation that the hospitals had to face

Mumbai After almost two months of discontinuing its milk supply to hospitals run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Aarey Dairy has started providing milk again, easing the crisis situation that the hospitals had to face. Although the dairy is supplying only half the earlier quantity at present, it has promised to restore 100% supply within the next few weeks.

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BMC officials are now unsure whether to go ahead with Mahanand Dairy, from whom the municipal corporation had intended procuring milk after the Aarey disruption began. “The proposal to buy milk from Mahanand has been signed by the municipal commissioner. However, Aarey Dairy has restarted its supply in many areas,” said Dr Mangala Gomare, executive health officer, BMC.

A BMC health official told HT that the prime reason for the municipal body’s uncertainty about Mahanand was the substantial difference in price between the two dairies. “We pay ₹39 per litre to Aarey. For Mahanand Dairy milk, we will have to pay ₹51 per litre, which is much more. Now that Aarey Dairy has restored the supply, we will wait a while and then decide,” said the official.

R K Rajput, CEO, Aarey Dairy, told HT the dairy had stopped supply of milk to BMC hospitals on account of an issue with the procurement of milk. “Right now we are able to meet the demand. In the last one week, we have been managing to send 4,000 litres of milk to these hospitals,” he said.

It was on August 29 that Aarey Dairy had written to BMC, saying it would not be able to provide its hospitals with milk. The hospital then locally purchased milk for its most needy patients such as pregnant women, children and patients in the intensive care unit. HT had reported on September 14 how 64-year-old social worker Bharti Sangoi arranged for 300 litres of milk for LTMG Sion Hospital -- one of the four tertiary care hospitals of the BMC -- within a few hours of being approached by the hospital. From August 31 till last week, she managed to provide 600 litres every day.

Aarey Dairy earlier said it was providing milk at a much lower rate compared to the prevalent market rate, and its purchase rate too was lower than what other private dairies were giving. “Many of our milk suppliers pulled out because of the low rates we were giving. We are working on revising the rates,” said an Aarey Dairy official.