Bemul achieves record profit of Rs 12.5 crore for 2025-26

Belagavi: The Belagavi District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union (Bemul) achieved a record profit of Rs 12.5 crore for the 2025-26 financial year, with a total turnover of Rs 510 crore, marking a significant milestone in its growth, said Chairman and MLA Balachandra Jarakiholi.Addressing reporters here on Tuesday, Jarakiholi said the Union focused on expansion during the year, leading to the formation of 100 new milk producers' cooperative societies. This increased the total number of functional societies to 685.He noted that the State govt disbursed Rs 32 crore in incentives to milk producers, while Rs 7.50 crore remains pending. The govt has been urged to release the balance amount at the earliest.The Union also diversified and strengthened its product base, recording notable growth in the production of value-added products such as ghee, paneer and peda. To widen its market presence, Bemul established 55 franchises across Belagavi, Goa and Pune.Milk procurement has seen steady growth, with an average daily collection of 2.5 lakh kg and an annual procurement of 8.2 crore kg, predominantly cow milk. In a notable initiative, the Union is supplying 25,000 litres of milk daily to schoolchildren under Andhra Pradesh's ‘Akshara Dasoha' scheme.Jarakiholi also revealed plans to establish a mega dairy in Belagavi, following a positive response to a similar project in Raibag. Emphasising farmer welfare, he urged North Karnataka farmers to adopt dairy farming as a sustainable supplementary income alongside traditional crops like sugarcane.