Amul maintains regular supply of milk, dairy products despite lockdown

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 8 (ANI): Amul is maintaing supply of milk and other dairy products for its customers, as usual, even as the nation continues to reel under the 21-day nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The Amul is able to maintain its supply as production at its dairy plants have not been stopped as milk and other dairy products comes under essential services which have been granted an exemption.
Speaking to ANI, Managing Director, Amul, RS Sodhi said, "Amul's supply chain has not been affected even for a single day during the lockdown period so far."
"We collect 26 million liters of milk from around 18,500 co-operative dairies in Gujarat and outside Gujarat. The milk is collected at 80 dairy plants of Amul and from where the dairy products are being processed and sent to various places in 10 lakh vans," Sodhi said.
He said that the company is also ensuring the safety of its employees amid the coronavirus outbreak.
"We have kept a check on every single safety measure. The milk tankers are sanitized when they enter the plants as well as when they leave the plants. The workers at dairy plants are also medically checked by doctors on a routine basis," Sodhi added.
Amul General Manager Anil Bayati said that the collection of milk has infact increased during the lockdown period because other producers have stopped functioning.
"We have two main responsibilities. One is to take milk from the people on time as it is a perishable product and other is to distribute it across the country for our customers. While our workers did face some problems at the beginning, we have made appropriate arrangements for them," Bayati said.
One of the drivers said that he travels at least 70 km every day to deliver milk.
"I travel every day from Banas dairy to Amul Mother dairy in Gandhinagar. We get checked by police at many checkpoints. But, I believe if we fail to supply the milk, people will start to lose hope," the driver said.
"It is a risky situation but we supply milk to plants. We even have to deliver to retailers in coronavirus affected areas," he added.
A customer at one of the outlets said that he has not witnessed any shortage of milk or any other dairy products at Amul parlors during the lockdown. (ANI)