Not all the milk processing units in the country are doing a lucrative business. In Lhuentse, the district’s two milk processing units are struggling to sell dairy products, especially during summer. These days, the milk processing units in Minjey and Maenbi Gewogs have many unsold stocks due to increased milk production during summer.
40-year-old Wangmo, a member of Lhamo Norguen Phendhey Detshen operates the milk processing unit in Minjey. She collects 500 litres of milk every day and it is processed into cheese, butter and yoghurt.
And the unit sells to the residents in Lhuentse and even in Monggar to clear the unsold stock.
“We sell the dairy products to schools, dratshang and residents. But we cannot sell our products these days due to surplus milk production. We also market it to Thimphu but couldn’t clear the stocks. We also started selling it in Monggar after the livestock officials asked us to do so. But that didn’t help either,” said Wangmo
She added that the surplus is due to the increased milk production during summer.
“Due to abundant fodder, there is abundant milk during summer. The milk production increases in summer compared to winter. We are hopeful to sell more products during the winter season,” she added.
Now the district livestock sector is planning to help the unit in marketing the products to Thimphu and Monggar.
And the story is no different for the milk processing unit in Maenbi Gewog. The unit collects 150 litres of milk every day and sells the dairy products to the schools and residents of Lhuentse.
Despite the difficulty the unit is facing, the members are reaping the benefits. They are able to sell the milk without having to travel to faraway places.
“Having a milk processing unit in the village benefits us since we can earn some income by selling milk,” said Pema Wangmo, a resident.
“It is convenient for us to sell milk to the milk processing unit as we don’t have to churn milk. For now, I sell about 20 to 50 litres of milk to the milk processing unit. When the milk production increases, I can earn about Nu 70,000 in a month but we also have to buy feeds from that amount,” said Jambay Dema, another resident.
With summer coming to an end, the milk processing units are hopeful that demands for their dairy products will increase as supplies from units in other districts decrease during winter.
Sonam Tshering, Lhuentse
Edited by Tshering Zam
