Pune: Milk Producers’ Protest Begins, Farmers Demand Minimum Price of Rs 40 per Litre

Pune, 27th June 2024: The Dudh Utpadak Sangharsh Samiti has called for an agitation to demand that milk be priced at a minimum of Rs 40 per litre. To intensify the protest, the All India Kisan Sabha, along with various like-minded farmers’ organizations, activists, and protestors, will form a Dudh Utpadak Sangharsh Samiti.

Dr. Ajit Navale, General Secretary of All India Kisan Sabha, stated that farmers have been dissatisfied with milk prices for the past year. Milk producers have been selling milk at a loss of Rs 10 to 15 per litre. These increasing losses have become unbearable. In light of this, the Maharashtra State Government should set the price of milk at a minimum of Rs 40, as announced at the Nagpur Session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in December 2023. The Dudh Utpadak Sangharsh Samiti is also advocating for other key demands, including the resumption of the milk subsidy, increasing the subsidy to Rs 10 per litre to offset rising production costs, and compensating farmers who incurred losses during the subsidy suspension.

To ensure fair pricing based on production costs, the Sangharsh Committee demands the implementation of a Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) and a revenue-sharing policy for milk, similar to that for sugarcane. A milk price commission should be established, and the prices of animal feed and medicine should be regulated. Additionally, there should be laws to prevent exploitation by private and cooperative milk unions, and measures to stop milk adulteration. A ‘one state, one brand’ policy should be adopted to prevent unnecessary branding, and taluka-wise independent inspectors should be appointed to prevent the exploitation of milk producers through unfair measurements. The Samiti also demands the introduction of an animal health insurance scheme with government subsidies.

An important meeting of milk project representatives and milk producers will be held at Vidhan Bhavan on Saturday (29th June) under the chairmanship of Minister of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development of Maharashtra Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil to discuss the milk price hike. Dairy Development Commissioner Prashant Mohod stated that the report from this meeting will be submitted to the cabinet.