Milk Vita increases milk supply amid the pandemic

Milk Vita is the pioneer of the country's dairy industry. The company continued its production during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is supplying up to 25 percent more milk in the market in 2021 than in 2020. Amar Chan Banik, joint secretary and managing director of Milk Vita, recently talked with The Business Standard about the company and the country's dairy industry.

"We have increased the supply by about 25 percent so that there is no shortage of milk amid the pandemic. To increase supply, however, we had to keep in order the supply chain. The company had to stand by the farmers to keep the supply right," said Amar Chan Banik.

He said, "We have arranged loans for many of the members of our cooperative society who have farms. Tk6 crore has been distributed among several farms in Baghabari. Another Tk5 crore loan has been approved from Rupali Bank. From where the farmers will be given Tk1 lakh each."

Milk Vita is the first milk processor company in the country. The company is producing 22 milk and dairy products. Bangladesh Milk Producers Cooperative Union Limited (Milk Vita) collects milk from its cooperative members. The company has its doctors, animal feed factories.

The company collects 1.40-1.70 lakh litres of milk from the farmers every day. The capacity of the company is also constantly increasing. It is increasing the number of factories across the country including modern processing plants and powdered milk plants.

However, Amar Chan Banik said, "The milk market has to go through some challenges. It costs Tk500 to produce 1 kg of milk powder. But powdered milk is also being sold in the market at Tk250 per kg. This is a big loss for the industry. The government has to pay attention so that low quality powdered milk is not imported."

He said Milk Vita never compromises with quality. That is why its products are popular with consumers today.

There is a kind of fear among people about drinking pasteurised milk. Many people think it is adulterated milk. Amar Chan Banik said in this regard, "We are constantly testing our products to keep the quality right. We also test our products from BSTI, Science Laboratory and various labs outside the country. We take immediate action if any problem is found."

The price of pasteurised milk has risen amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Asked if it is putting pressure on consumers, he said, "It is true that we have raised prices once in the pandemic. However, the price of milk for farmers has been increased in two phases. If the farm does not survive, the production will be in crisis."

Regarding the development of the dairy sector, Amar Chan Banik said, "Milk Vita is a pioneer in the sector. We are moving forward in line with the government's target of meeting nutritional needs. At present, the availability of milk is 157 ml per person. But the demand is 250 ml. We are working to meet this demand."

Amar Chan Banik, Joint Secretary and Managing Director of Milk Vita

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