How drought-affected Maharashtra is staring at a milk crisis

Why is drought in Maharashtra threatening to create a milk crisis?

Maharashtra’s drought is squeezing both sides of the dairy business. Scarce rain reduces fodder availability and raises the cost of cattle feed. Heat and water shortages can also reduce animals’ milk production. Together, these pressures can make milk costlier to produce and harder to supply.

A farmer with four or five cows currently spends about Rs 28-30 to produce a litre. For four or five buffaloes, the cost can reach Rs 40-45. Fodder shortages in areas such as Marathwada and parts of western Maharashtra may reduce production further, especially when animals face rising heat stress.

Farmers may depend more on dairy income when crops perform poorly, but their expenses also rise. If production falls while costs increase, dairies may raise procurement and retail prices. The article notes that higher milk prices would also make paneer, khoya, and milk-based sweets more expensive.

What is fodder, and why is it essential for dairy animals?

Fodder means plant-based feed given to livestock. It can include grass, stored crops, and crop residues. Dairy animals need regular feed to maintain their bodies and produce milk. When fodder is scarce, farmers must buy more feed or use whatever crop material remains available.

The article describes farmers saving wilted kharif crops, such as groundnut, as cattle feed during drought. It also reports that fodder shortages are expected in Marathwada and parts of western Maharashtra. These shortages can affect the amount of milk animals produce and raise the cost of keeping them.

Fodder is therefore central to the dairy economy. If supplies are not ensured, production costs rise and milk output may fall. The article’s dairy stakeholders call for government action to provide both drinking water and fodder, especially in drought-affected regions.

How many of Maharashtra’s administrative talukas are drought-affected, and how much milk does the state produce each day?

Maharashtra declared 265 of its 358 talukas drought-affected. That is nearly three-quarters of the state’s talukas. The harshest conditions were reported in Marathwada and Vidarbha, with drought also affecting northern Maharashtra and districts such as Solapur.

The state produces around 17 million litres of liquid milk every day. This total includes both organised and unorganised production. Cow milk makes up most collections, while buffalo milk contributes around 4 million litres daily.

These figures show why a drought-related disruption matters beyond individual farms. A large affected area can reduce fodder availability and animal productivity across several dairy regions. Maharashtra’s usual flush season begins around November and continues until March-end or April, so supply conditions during and after drought will remain important for farmers, dairies, and consumers.

How do drought, heat stress, and water shortages raise the cost of producing milk?

Drought reduces the supply of grass, crops, and other feed for dairy animals. Farmers then need to buy more cattle feed or preserve damaged crops for animals. This increases their daily expenses. Scarce drinking water adds another burden, because animals need water as well as feed to remain productive.

Heat stress adds a second mechanism. The article reports that heat has a hormonal impact on milch animals and their lactation. It also warns that animal-health expenses may rise. Thus, an animal may produce less milk while its feed, water, and care cost more.

The effect is especially serious from February to March, when growing heat stress and water scarcity may intensify. Farmers in drought-affected regions could face lower output and higher unit costs. Dairy companies may respond through higher procurement prices and, eventually, higher retail rates.

How could higher feed costs or lower milk production affect the prices of milk, paneer, khoya, and sweets?

Feed costs are a major part of producing milk. When fodder and cattle feed become more expensive, farmers need more money to produce each litre. If animals also produce less because of drought or heat, the available supply shrinks. Dairies may then pay more to secure milk and pass some of that increase to consumers.

The article gives current production costs of Rs 28-30 per litre for a farmer with four or five cows, and Rs 40-45 for four or five buffaloes. It also reports Mumbai retail prices of about Rs 60 for cow milk and Rs 78 for buffalo milk. Higher farm costs could put pressure on those retail rates.

Milk is an input for paneer, khoya, and sweets. If milk becomes more expensive, producers face higher costs for these products too. The article notes that milk-based sweets could become still costlier, narrowing their price gap with cashew-based sweets.

Why might farmers depend more heavily on milch cattle during a drought, even when keeping those animals becomes more expensive?

Drought damages farm income and leaves agriculturists with fewer dependable earnings from crops. Dairy animals can provide regular milk sales, so farmers may focus more of their effort on their milch cattle. This dependence can grow even when the cost of feeding and caring for the animals rises.

Prakash Kutwal said farmers sometimes save wilted kharif crops, such as groundnut, as cattle feed. Vinay Kore Savkar similarly noted that farmers have no option but to focus on milch animals and dairy during drought. Milk therefore becomes both an income source and a use for whatever crop material remains.

The strategy has limits. Fodder and cattle-feed supplies must be ensured, or animals may produce less milk while costing more to maintain. The article says farmers’ economic dependence on milk can increase production, but it also warns that rising input costs may eventually force higher retail rates.

How do supply, demand, production costs, and seasonal surpluses determine the price consumers pay for milk?

Milk prices reflect several linked forces. Farmers need to cover feed, fodder, water, and animal-care costs. Dairies must procure enough milk, while consumers create demand through household purchases and products such as paneer and sweets. If production costs or demand rise faster than supply, prices tend to increase.

The article reports farm production costs of Rs 28-30 per litre for cow milk and Rs 40-45 for buffalo milk. Current farmer prices are about Rs 42 and Rs 56 respectively. In Mumbai, retail prices are about Rs 60 for cow milk and Rs 78 for buffalo milk. These figures show how costs and market stages connect.

Seasonality also matters. The flush season runs from around November to March-end or April. Surplus liquid milk is converted into butter and skimmed milk powder. During drought, however, lower output and higher feed costs could reduce that cushion and put upward pressure on retail prices.

Key Facts:

📌 Drought raises cattle-feed and fodder costs.

📌 Fodder shortages may reduce milk production.

📌 Higher milk prices can raise sweet and dairy-product prices.

📌 Fodder is plant-based feed for livestock.

📌 Farmers may save wilted groundnut crops as cattle feed.

📌 Fodder shortages can reduce milk output and raise costs.

📌 Maharashtra declared 265 of 358 talukas drought-affected.