Sat Apr 05 19:19:34 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu Dairy Farmers Demand New Milk Testing Method for Fairer Prices

**Chennai, April 6, 2025** – Dairy farmers in Tamil Nadu are urging the state government to adopt the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) method for calculating the fat and solids-not-fat (SNF) content in milk procured by Aavin, the state’s milk cooperative. The farmers claim the current Modified Richmond Formula consistently underestimates SNF by 0.2%, resulting in a loss of 56 paise per litre for producers.

M.G. Rajendran, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Welfare Association, stated that the ISI formula provides a more accurate SNF measurement, typically showing 8% or higher per litre, compared to the lower readings obtained with the Richmond Formula. This discrepancy impacts the price paid to farmers, as the price is directly tied to the fat and SNF content, with the standard for cow milk being 4.3% fat and 8.2% SNF.

While the government is constrained from raising procurement prices due to consumer price promises, the adoption of the ISI method – already in use in other states – would automatically increase payments to farmers without requiring a direct price hike, Rajendran pointed out. This request has been a longstanding demand from over 20 lakh members of cooperative societies within the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation (Aavin), encompassing 9,000 societies and around 4 lakh milk producers supplying approximately 30 lakh litres of milk daily.

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