#StartupsVsCovid19: Mother Dairy Seeks BigBasket, Milkbasket Aid For Deliveries

One of India’s largest dairy companies Mother Dairy is now looking to tap the infrastructure of ecommerce platforms to maintain an uninterrupted supply of milk.

According to a TOI report, Mother Dairy has asked ecommerce players such as BigBasket, Milkbasket and Supr Daily to help the company increase its reach to the households. These grocery delivery startups can help Mother Dairy to reach those places that do not have milk booths. For this, Mother Dairy is also ready to increase milk production.

A Mother Dairy spokesperson said that the company is ready to operate at its full capacity. As of now, the company is producing an average of 35 Lakh litres of milk per day. “ If ecommerce players are experiencing surged demand in some areas, we can increase our capacity by over 10%, with the backing of smooth distribution,” the spokesperson added.

India’s largest milk producer Amul has already increased its production. Amul had said that the demand for milk has increased after the government announced a 21-day lockdown. The milk manufacturer also said that there is no imminent chance of short supply for consumers.

Besides dairy products, Mother Dairy also sells groceries through Safal branded stores. Amid the lockdown, the company has doubled the supply of fruits and vegetables and is currently supplying around 300 metric tons in Delhi-NCR. Mother Dairy said that the demand of all the milk category that it sells has been normal, however, ice cream sales have been impacted severely.

Can Mother Dairy Overcome Delivery Challenges?

In the initial days of the lockdown, many ecommerce players reported disruptions in their businesses. Companies like BigBasket and Grofers said that local authorities locked down their warehouses in many cities, while delivery executives were blocked by on-ground personnel.

Also, there were instances where delivery-partners of these companies were stopped and beaten by local law enforcement agencies. It is worth noting these platforms deliver groceries and other essentials items which have been allowed the government to operate normally amid lockdown.

After this, these companies reached out to the central government to help them resolve issues with local authorities. However, all these players are still not able to run their full fledge operations until now.

Mother Dairy spokesperson said that milk and milk products, along with fruits and vegetables, come under the essential goods category. “These products are covered in the list of exceptions issued by various states and central government authorities, and accordingly movement of stakeholders is being managed with the help of local enforcement agencies,” the spokesperson said.