M K Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday to order the Gujarat-based dairy company Amul to stop buying milk in the southern state immediately.
Stalin alerted the Centre to the problems associated with Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (Amul) milk procurement in the Tamil Nadu milk shed region in a letter to Shah.
Recently, Amul’s use of its multi-state cooperative licence to set up chilling facilities and a processing factory in Krishnagiri district has come to the attention of the state government, according to Stalin.
Amul also intends to purchase milk from FPOs and SHGs in the nearby Tamil Nadu districts of Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupathur, Kancheepuram, and Tiruvallur.
In India, it is customary to allow cooperatives to flourish without encroaching on each other’s milk-shed space. Given the current milk scarcity situation in the nation, such cross-procurement is against the spirit of “Operation White Flood” and will make things worse for consumers. The milk shed area of Aavin (TN Co-operative Milk Producers Federation), which has been fostered over decades in true cooperative spirit, has been violated by AMUL’s conduct.
Through this action, AMUL hopes to foster unhealthy competition among cooperatives that sell and advertise milk and milk-related goods.
Regional cooperatives have been essential to the growth of the dairy industry in the United States, and they are better positioned to support and encourage producers while protecting consumers from arbitrary price increases.
A three-tier dairy cooperative structure has been successfully operating in Tamil Nadu since 1981 for the benefit of rural milk producers and consumers, much like it does in other states with strong dairy cooperatives, according to Stalin.
“Our premier cooperative marketing federation is Aavin. 9,673 Milk Producers Co-operative Societies are operating in rural areas under the purview of Aavin Cooperative. From roughly 4.5 lakh pouring members, they obtain 35 LLPD of milk. In the existing system, cooperative groups guarantee milk producers fair and consistent prices throughout the year.
Aavin also offers a variety of inputs, such as cow feed, fodder, mineral mixtures, animal health care, and breeding services for animals of milk producers, in order to boost and sustain milk output in Tamil Nadu.
Additionally, it guarantees that consumers will always have access to high-quality milk and milk products at some of the lowest costs in the nation. Thus, he said, Aavin is essential for enhancing the livelihood of rural milk farmers and satisfying consumer nutritional needs.
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