Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday to direct Gujarat-based dairy giant Amul to desist from milk procurement in the state with immediate effect, reported PTI.
Stalin drew Shah’s attention to the “cross-procurement” issues, saying that it “goes against the spirit of ‘Operation White Flood’”. He said that Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (Amul) in the Tamil Nadu milk shed area has utilised its multi-state cooperative licence to install chilling centres and a processing plant in Krishnagiri district.
“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 the consumers given the prevailing milk shortage scenario in the country. This act of AMUL infringes on Aavin’s (TN Co-operative Milk Producers Federation) milk shed area which has been nurtured in true cooperative spirit over decades.”
He further said that the Amul’s move will create “unhealthy competition” between the cooperatives in procuring and marketing milk products. “Therefore, I request your urgent intervention to direct Amul to desist from milk procurement from the milk shed area of Aavin in Tamil Nadu with immediate effect,” the Chief Minister said.
Stalin further said that Amul has so far been selling its products through their outlets.
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, Stalin said.
“Aavin is our apex cooperative marketing federation. Under the ambit of Aavin co-operative, 9,673 Milk Producers Co-operative Societies are functioning in rural areas. They procure 35 LLPD of milk from about 4.5 lakh pouring members. Under this current arrangement, milk producers are assured of remunerative and uniform prices throughout the year by the cooperative societies,” the CM said.
Earlier, Karnataka saw major uproar ahead of the Assembly elections as Amul announced on April 5 that it would enter the Karnataka market to supply its milk and curd in the southern state. The Congress and other parties targetted the then ruling BJP government of jeopardising the interests of the state’s local brand Nandini of the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF).
