CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to direct Gujarat-based dairy giant Amul to desist from milk procurement in the southern state with immediate effect.
Stalin in a letter to Shah, who is also the Union Minister for Cooperatives, stated that Amul's foray into milk procurement in the milk shed area of Aavin — the TN govt-owned cooperative — would result in an "unhealthy competition" between cooperatives engaged in procuring and marketing milk and milk products.
The letter stated that Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (Amul), utilised its multi-state cooperative license to install chilling centres and a processing plant in Krishnagiri and planned to procure milk through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and Self Help Groups (SHGs) in and around Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupathur, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts
"It has been a norm in India to let cooperatives thrive without infringing on each other’s milk-shed area. Such cross-procurement goes against the spirit of ‘Operation White Flood’ and will exacerbate problems for consumers given the prevailing milk shortage scenario in the country. This act of AMUL infringes on Aavin's milk shed area which has been nurtured in true cooperative spirit over decades," Stalin wrote in his letter.
"In Tamil Nadu, like in other States with strong dairy cooperatives, a three-tier dairy cooperative system is functioning effectively since 1981 for the benefit of the rural milk producers and consumers. Aavin is our apex cooperative marketing federation," the letter said, adding that under this current arrangement, milk producers are assured of remunerative and uniform prices throughout the year by the cooperative societies.
"In order to increase and sustain milk production in Tamil Nadu, Aavin also provides various inputs such as cattle feed, fodder, mineral mixture, animal health care and breeding services for animals of milk producers. In addition, it ensures the supply of quality milk and milk products to consumers at one of the lowest prices in our country.
Thus, Aavin plays a vital role in improving the livelihood of rural milk producers and meeting the nutritional requirement of consumers, he said.
The CM said, “Regional cooperatives have been the bedrock of dairy development in the states and they are better placed to engage and nurture producers and to Cushion consumers from arbitrary price hikes.”
As a result, the CM requested the urgent intervention of Amit Shah to direct Amul to desist from milk procurement from the milk shed area of Aavin in Tamil Nadu with immediate effect.
(With inputs from PTI)