Consumption Pattern of Milk and Milk Products in Rural and Urban Areas of Kerala

Abstract

The urban consumers spent 14.46 per cent, 33.13 per cent, 54.45 per cent, 20.72 per cent, 51.83 per cent and 22.26 per cent more for liquid milk, curd & butter milk, butter, ghee, other milk products and total milk & milk products respectively than the rural consumers. The inequality in consumption of milk and milk products in Kerala was marginally higher for rural consumers (0.28) than that of their urban counterparts (0.26) as revealed by the Gini coefficients and Lorenz curves, indicating that the expenditure on milk and milk products was more unevenly distributed among the rural population. It was also observed that the monthly per capita expenditure on milk and milk products was lower among the rural consumers (₹252.91) as compared to the urban consumers (₹309.22). The share of expenditure on milk and milk products in the monthly per capita food expenditure was found to be marginally higher in urban consumers (25.14%) than rural consumers (23.13%). The computed expenditure elasticity of liquid milk, curd and buttermilk were found to be lesser than unity reflecting that consumers have considered these products as necessary goods in both urban and rural areas of Kerala.