Aavin delays milk deliveries in Coimbatore
Packets scheduled for delivery at 4:30am have reached some agent outlets at about 7:45am, according to reports on the distribution disruption. The delays have affected door-to-door services and left some shops without stock during the main morning sales period. Some agents travelled to Aavin’s central Race Course facility to collect supplies directly.
Aavin is managed in the district by the Coimbatore District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union. Its management said demand had risen quickly after private milk companies increased retail prices. Multi-brand agents responded by lifting their daily Aavin orders by between 10,000 litres and 15,000 litres.
Milk procurement within Coimbatore is about 110,000 litres a day. The regional plant, however, is required to process as much as 310,000 litres daily for Coimbatore, Tiruppur and the Nilgiris. Additional bulk supplies from the Karnataka Milk Federation are used to cover the difference between local procurement and the volume required across the three districts.
The increase in orders has placed pressure on chilling and packaging operations. Milk must remain in a chilling cycle for two hours and reach 4°C before it is loaded for transport, under Aavin’s operating procedures. The process is intended to limit spoilage during distribution.
Aavin had set a daily cut-off for agents to confirm their requirements. Following protests by the union, the deadline was moved to 6pm. The plant has continued to receive late changes to orders, which has reduced the time available for processing and delayed dispatches.
Returns of plastic trays from retail agents have created another interruption. The trays are needed for the automated packaging lines, and slow returns have delayed the loading of trucks serving city routes. District Collector and Aavin chairman Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar directed senior officials to review the plant’s workflows, set firm dispatch schedules and introduce measures aimed at stabilising distribution.
The disruption has occurred as Aavin’s supply to the region has expanded in response to the higher orders. The union’s stated measures concern order management, plant operations, dispatch timing and the circulation of transport trays.
