Milk is being drained onto the streets of Maharashtra and vehicles carrying milk are being set on fire as farmers’ associations step up their agitation. In an effort to placate angry dairy farmers, the Maharashtra government has now announced a conditional subsidy of Rs 5 for milk producers. What’s the condition? That milk cooperatives and private milk collectors will get this subsidy only if they charge Rs 25/litre to milk producers.
While farmers have now withdrawn their protest over demands for better procurement prices for milk, why were Maharashtra’s dairy farmers blocking tankers carrying thousands of litres of it?
Dairy farmers have laid out a list of demands to the Maharashtra government, a key one being an increase in procurement prices. In 2017, the state government fixed the procurement price at Rs 27 per litre for cow’s milk but farmers allege they barely receive Rs 17, which is not enough to cover their production costs.
According to Navale’s estimate, a dairy farmer in the state ends up spending Rs 18 from his own pocket per litre of milk. “This is per day. We are demanding that even if you don’t give us Rs 34.80, at least give us the Rs 27 that the government had promised us,” he added.
Apart from increasing the base rate, the protesters are also demanding a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre be deposited directly into the accounts of farmers.
Another concern is GST imposed on milk products like butter.
A sizeable portion of milk produced in Maharashtra is exported in the form of milk powder. Fall in rates of milk powder is one of the key reasons for the crisis.
After nearly a week-long agitation, dairy farmers called off the protest after the Maharashtra government announced the rate of Rs 25 per litre for milk. Federations of milk suppliers and processors' bodies are supposed to buy milk from farmers at Rs 25.
The state government has also agreed for a conditional Rs 5 subsidy for milk producers. This, however, will not apply to packaged milk. Minister of State for Animal Husbandry Arjun Khotkar made the announcement in the Nagpur legislative council.
A day before the government’s announcement, Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan held talks with Swabhimani Paksha MP Raju Shetti, who is spearheading the protests.
The demonstration by protesting farmers and members of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatan and Maharashtra Kisan Sabha began gaining momentum from 16 July. Tankers filled with milk were stopped along Pune, Nashik, Buldhana, Palghar and Sangli among other districts and lakhs of litres of milk was spilled on the roads.
In certain areas like Pune and Baramati, the agitators threw tetra packs and pouches of milk on the roads. The agitation took a violent turn in Malegaon after protesters set a vehicle carrying milk on fire as a mark of protest.
On 18 July, Swabhimani Paksha MP Raju Shetty reached Dahanu station in Maharashtra’s Palghar district and camped at the station to stop trains carrying milk from Gujarat to Mumbai.
“There are approximately 1.3 crore litres of milk being produced across the state per day. This is being distributed amongst the poor and hungry. Barely 1 percent of this milk is being spilled on the roads. We will continue our agitation till the govt agrees to our demands,” added Shetti.
The protesters’ move to empty thousands of litres of milk on the roads has been criticised by many on social media.
Responding to the criticism, Ajit Navale from All India Kisan Sabha said:
But, he added, the strike would not be withdrawn till the government acceded to their demands. "Given the policies that the Govt is adopting, if a farmer has to put in an additional Rs 18 from his own pocket to produce a product for months and suffer losses, what other choice does he have left? If we are selling something at such heavy losses, that’s as good as throwing it away,” said Navale.
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