The Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Association would stage a state wide demonstration on September 24, urging the State Government and the government run Co-operative Milk Producers Society (Aavin) to fulfil their various demands – which includes increasing the procurement price of milk.
“We want the procurement price of a litre of cow’s milk by Rs. 5 per litre and fix it at Rs. 25 and increase the procurement price of a litre of buffalo milk by Rs. 7 and fix it at Rs. 35 – to match the increasing price hike of fodder and feed for the animals”, K. Mohammed Ali, State President of the association said.
He made this statement after a consultative meeting with the office bearers here on Monday. He said that the Tamil Nadu Government increased the procurement price of cow’s milk by Rs. 2 per litre, while the price of the same quantity of buffalo milk was increased by Rs. 6 – in the year 2011.
“But the procurement price of milk has not been revised over the last two years. On the other hand expenses incurred by farmers in the form of fodder and feed price hike has been in the range of 50 percent or more in the two years – compared to its price in the year 2011”, he added.
Mr. Mohammed Ali pointed out that a 60 kg bag of Aavin feed that was priced at Rs. 650 in November, 2011, has now increased to Rs. 998. Noting that the price of feed that is marketed by private players has increased much more, he felt that it has forced small farmers to sell their cows at a very less price.
The association also asked the government to improve the quality of Aavin feed and to offer it at a subsidy of 50 percent to the nearly 15 lakh farmers across the State who are supplying more than one crore litres of milk to Aavin everyday.
