Kerala - Kochi   

Centre urged to amend norms to help dairy farmers in State

KOCHI: The Ernakulam Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited, one of the three regional cooperative bodies of Milma, has demanded that the central schemes for dairy development be extended to more beneficiaries in the State. Some of the schemes are applicable to only a few districts in the State. The norms pertaining to such schemes should be changed to include more districts, according to M. T. Jayan, chairman of the regional cooperative body.

In a memorandum submitted to the Union Minister of State for Agriculture K. V. Thomas, he said all the districts of Kerala should be brought under the Integrated Dairy Development Project. Local bodies have been given the authority to implement projects for infrastructure development under the scheme.

As the cooperative bodies of milk producers have been functioning successfully in the State, they should be allowed to take up the work, Mr.Jayan said. He submitted proposals for taking up various schemes worth Rs. 33 crores.

Nabard’s venture capital fund scheme was being denied to a large number of dairy farmers in Kerala, Mr. Jayan said.

The scheme is presently being implemented in the six districts of Wayanad, Kasaragod, Kozhikode, Kannur, Malappuram and Palakkad, which fall under the Operation Flood scheme.

The scheme should be applicable to farmers in other districts also.

In a separate statement, he urged the government to extend the pension scheme to all those dairy farmers who have completed 60 years.

The Ernakulam region of Milma has already paid Rs.3.5 crores towards its share in the dairy farmers’ welfare fund for the period from 2005 to 2009, he said.

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