Inequality in consumption of milk and milk products in rural and urban areas of Thiruvananthapuram district of Keralaan economic analysis

The inequality in consumption of milk and milk products in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala was marginally higher for rural consumers (0.24) than that of their urban counterparts (0.23) as indicated by the Gini coefficients and Lorenz curves reflecting that the expenditure on milk and milk products was unevenly distributed among the rural population. The urban consumers disbursed 12.10, 42.09, 50.38, 13.52, 57.77 and 18.28 per cent more on liquid milk, curd and butter milk, butter, ghee, other milk products and total milk and milk products respectively. The computed expenditure elasticity of liquid milk, curd and butter milk was found to be lesser than unity inferring that consumers had considered these products as essential goods in both urban and rural areas of Thiruvananthapuram.