The Gazetteers Department

Gavlis or milkmen form a functional caste in Marathwada Their hereditary occupation is to tend cattle and sell milk, butter and ghee. Their monopoly in the supply of milk is, however gradually giving way to a competition from persons belonging to other communities. With the growth of population and the resulting scarcity in the supply of milk all over the country, running a dairy has now become a profitable business, at least in urban areas. In villages, where agriculture is the main occupation of the people, almost every household, usually in possession of milch cattle, can meet its own milk requirements, and selling of milk is undertaken only if a surplus stock is available. Even where it forms a subsidiary pursuit, it is hardly practised in such a regular and systematic way as the dairies in towns.

In Bhir district dairies are found only in Bhir, Ambejogai and Parali. A sample survey which was carried out at these centres revealed a number of distinctive features of the dairy occupation.

It was found that the main investment of the proprietors of dairies was in the purchase of milch cattle, especially buffaloes. The proprietors at each of the centres mentioned above had in possession 20. 8 and 5 buffaloes, respectively. Each buffalo was valued at from Rs. 300 to Rs. 500. The maintenance cost of buffaloes or other milch cattle was also high since their fodder, which consisted of grass, oilcakes and cotton-seeds, was very dear. Thus, in the survey the proprietors of dairies were found to spend from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 6,000 per annum in securing the cattle-feed. The necessary finances required to meet this expenditure were generally supplied by local money-lenders. Milk selling at these centres was pursued mainly as a family occupation. A labourer was employed only in one dairy and was paid Rs. 18 per month and was given free meals.

In addition to mil, ghee, curds and khawa are also sold. products like ghee and khawa are marketed in the weekly bazars at Bhir, Ambejogai, Parali, Ghatnandur and Dharur. They are also exported to the adjacent districts from Bhir and Parali. The rices of milk and milk products are not fixed. They vary according to season. In the summer of 1961 for example, the milk was sold at from Re. 0.75 to Re. 1.00 per seer; but in the rainy season the rate was reduced to Re. 0.50 per seer. The average price of butter in most of the markets was from Rs. 4 to Rs. 5 and that of ghee from Rs. 6 to Rs. 7 per seer. About 3 maunds of ghee were exported weekly from Parali to Parbhani during the same year. The price of milk also varied according to its quality. Thus, a good quality milk was available only at Re. 1.00 per seer, but an inferior quality could be obtained at Re. 0.60 per seer. The quality of milk, in fact, depends upon the stock from which the cattle comes, its maintenance, the quality and quantity of fodder consumed by it, and also upon the season. It therefore, varies from place to place and is never uniform throughout the year. Demand for milk comes mainly from local customers amongst whom proprietors of hotels are predominant. The latter largely affect the price of milk and milk products in local markets.

Although dairies do not ordinarily earn an income over Rs. 300 per month, they have more or less a secured business in the district. Many times they depend for the supply of milk on nearby villages from where people following this occupation regularly bring milk to towns. Bhir town, for example, gets about 60 per cent of the milk-supply from the surrounding villages.

The conditions of milk-supply are on the whole satisfactory in Bhir and Ambejogai tahsils but not so in Patoda, Ashti, Georai and Manjlegaon tahsils due to the scarcity of fodder and water.