Farmers Movement Archive

Maharashtra promises to help loss-making milk farmers as protests continue

MUMBAI: Maharashtra government on Tuesday said it will soon announce a scheme to help loss-making milk farmers who are protesting and demanding a subsidy. A meeting was held between farmer leaders and animal husbandry and dairy development minister Sunil Kedar, who said the state had procured over five crore litres of surplus milk at the rate of Rs25 per litre under its scheme from April. “Some dairy farmer representatives demanded a subsidy of Rs5, while some sought Rs10. Some demanded a subsidy for exporting (milk) powder, while others wanted money to be sent directly to farmers’ accounts,” he said. The minister said the government will work out a scheme focussed on farmers. Farmer groups said they will continue the agitation till their demands are met and a meeting will be held on Wednesday. Farmers have been protesting in the dairy belt of western Maharashtra and districts like Ahmednagar seeking subsidy to bridge losses due to a dip in milk demand due to lockdown. Swabhimani Shetakri Sanghatana (SSS) leader Raju Shetti said milk demand had dipped by 40% in the state and farmers were left with a lot of surplus and unsold milk, and the government scheme to purchase surplus milk was inadequate. He said many co-operatives bought surplus milk and converted it into powder but the price of powder too crashed, and the dairies were staring at losses. “The state government’s stipulated price for one litre of cow milk is Rs27, but farmers are getting Rs17-18. To bridge the gap, a Rs10 subsidy has been demanded,” said Ajit Navale of Kisan Sabha. Demonstrations were held in Sangli, Kolhapur, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Beed and other districts for a hike in milk procurement prices by Rs5 and to press for other demands. The agitators, along with members of SSS stopped tankers passing through Sangli and Kolhapur districts, and emptied them on Pune-Bengaluru highway. Shetti also demanded cancellation of the Centre’s decision to import 10,000 tonnes of milk powder. He said milk business in the state had been affected due to central government policies.

The Times of India

2020-07-22

Kolhapur