Led by MP Raju Shetti, the Sanghtana has embarked on a state-wide agitation since Monday to stop the supply of milk to urban areas, to press for its demand for a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre for dairy farmers, to help them tide over the spell of low prices.
Led by MP Raju Shetti, the Sanghtana has embarked on a state-wide agitation since Monday to stop the supply of milk to urban areas, to press for its demand for a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre for dairy farmers, to help them tide over the spell of low prices.
As the milk agitation in Maharashtra entered its third day, the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana, which had called for the supply blockade, decided to harden its stance and gave a call for chakka jam from Thursday. Urban areas, meanwhile, started feeling the pinch as milk supplies continued to be disrupted and dairies reported a significant dip in procurement.
In an effort to defuse the situation, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has called for a meeting with representatives of 15 top dairies in Nagpur on Thursday. Led by MP Raju Shetti, the Sanghtana has embarked on a state-wide agitation since Monday to stop the supply of milk to urban areas, to press for its demand for a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre for dairy farmers, to help them tide over the spell of low prices. On Wednesday morning, Shetti gave a call for intensifying the ongoing agitation. “Farmers will bring their animals to the highways to stop traffic,” he said. Pune region reported around 25 lakh litres of collection on Wednesday, well below its normal procurement of 65 lakh litres of milk daily.
Vishwas Patil, chairman of the Kolhapur Cooperative Milk Producers Union, popularly known as Gokul, reported only 3 lakh litres of collection, though its normal collection is 11 lakh litres. Patil said they have managed to send 7 lakh litres of milk to Mumbai under heavy police protection.
The supply blockade has almost crippled some dairies in the state. Govind Milk and Milk Products, a Satara-based dairy, reported almost zero procurement while Sangli-based Chitale Dairy suspended their collection for the third consecutive day.
However, Mohan Yedurkar, managing director of Warna, another cooperative dairy in Kolhapur, said their collection of 5 lakh litres was more or less the same. “The strike has not affected our supplies,” he said.
Ahmednagar: Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna activists during a demonstration demanding a subsidy and waivers among other things. (PTI File photo)
Most dairies have been transporting milk under heavy police bandobast, even as incidents of milk tankers being targeted keep on being reported from various quarters of the state. Since the last two days, Shetti and members of his outfit have been camping on the Maharashtra-Gujarat border to prevent milk tankers of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which owns the brand Amul, from entering the state. Sanghtana members had also stopped trains transporting milk tankers near the border.
Amul sells around 20 lakh litres of milk per day in the state while its procurement from the state is slated to be around 15 lakh litres. Sources in the Federation said their supplies have not been disrupted, but their collection has been severely affected.
On Thursday, representatives of 15 major dairies, both cooperative and private, have been called for a meeting with Fadnavis to find a way out of the crisis. The Sanghtana said it has not received any call from the government to attend the talks.
The note about the meeting, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, referred to the discussion held in the state legislature on the issue. “The meeting has been called in order to understand the situation at the industry level and to help us take a studied decision for the welfare of the farmers,” read the note. However, many dairy owners, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Sanghatana’s demand was not tenable. “Private dairies that have captured 70 per cent of the milk industry in the state do not deal with farmers directly. Instead, they deal with the Bulk Milk Chiller operators, who in turn pay the farmers. Concerns have been raised about the direct subsidy not reaching the farmer as there is no mechanism to track that,” said a senior official of the Dairy Development Department.
As the milk agitation in Maharashtra entered its third day, the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana, which had called for the supply blockade, decided to harden its stance and gave a call for chakka jam from Thursday. Urban areas, meanwhile, started feeling the pinch as milk supplies continued to be disrupted and dairies reported a significant dip in procurement.
In an effort to defuse the situation, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has called for a meeting with representatives of 15 top dairies in Nagpur on Thursday. Led by MP Raju Shetti, the Sanghtana has embarked on a state-wide agitation since Monday to stop the supply of milk to urban areas, to press for its demand for a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre for dairy farmers, to help them tide over the spell of low prices. On Wednesday morning, Shetti gave a call for intensifying the ongoing agitation. “Farmers will bring their animals to the highways to stop traffic,” he said. Pune region reported around 25 lakh litres of collection on Wednesday, well below its normal procurement of 65 lakh litres of milk daily.
Vishwas Patil, chairman of the Kolhapur Cooperative Milk Producers Union, popularly known as Gokul, reported only 3 lakh litres of collection, though its normal collection is 11 lakh litres. Patil said they have managed to send 7 lakh litres of milk to Mumbai under heavy police protection.
The supply blockade has almost crippled some dairies in the state. Govind Milk and Milk Products, a Satara-based dairy, reported almost zero procurement while Sangli-based Chitale Dairy suspended their collection for the third consecutive day.
However, Mohan Yedurkar, managing director of Warna, another cooperative dairy in Kolhapur, said their collection of 5 lakh litres was more or less the same. “The strike has not affected our supplies,” he said.
Ahmednagar: Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna activists during a demonstration demanding a subsidy and waivers among other things. (PTI File photo)
Most dairies have been transporting milk under heavy police bandobast, even as incidents of milk tankers being targeted keep on being reported from various quarters of the state. Since the last two days, Shetti and members of his outfit have been camping on the Maharashtra-Gujarat border to prevent milk tankers of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which owns the brand Amul, from entering the state. Sanghtana members had also stopped trains transporting milk tankers near the border.
Amul sells around 20 lakh litres of milk per day in the state while its procurement from the state is slated to be around 15 lakh litres. Sources in the Federation said their supplies have not been disrupted, but their collection has been severely affected.
On Thursday, representatives of 15 major dairies, both cooperative and private, have been called for a meeting with Fadnavis to find a way out of the crisis. The Sanghtana said it has not received any call from the government to attend the talks.
The note about the meeting, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, referred to the discussion held in the state legislature on the issue. “The meeting has been called in order to understand the situation at the industry level and to help us take a studied decision for the welfare of the farmers,” read the note. However, many dairy owners, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Sanghatana’s demand was not tenable. “Private dairies that have captured 70 per cent of the milk industry in the state do not deal with farmers directly. Instead, they deal with the Bulk Milk Chiller operators, who in turn pay the farmers. Concerns have been raised about the direct subsidy not reaching the farmer as there is no mechanism to track that,” said a senior official of the Dairy Development Department.