Congress to keep KMF-Amul issue simmering till Karnataka Assembly polls

With assembly polls just around 30 days away, the opposition Congress is likely to keep up pressure on the government on alleged attempts to weaken the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) to help Amul. 

“It will be one of the major issues during campaigning,” said a senior Congress leader. Senior leaders have directed party leaders to keep up pressure on the government as it concerns over 26 lakh farmers, who supply milk to the KMF every day. KMF procures 85 lakh litres of milk from 26 lakh farmers every day.

Meanwhile, former chief minister Siddaramaiah said since the past few years, the state and central governments were making attempts to weaken the institution that has been the backbone of farmers in the state. The Congress leader said he has been raising the issue since 2020, and even wrote several letters to the state government and also took it up in the assembly.

The former CM said in 2014, KMF was procuring 45 lakh litres of milk and this increased to 73 lakh litres by end of 2017. It increased by 61 lakh litres, but now why has it reduced to 71 lakh litres, he questioned.

The Congress government had increased the incentive provided per litre of milk to Rs 5, but the BJP government has not increased it at all, he said.