Dairy farmers in Mysuru have expressed concern over the ramifications of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) pact set to be finalised in due course.
The RCEP is a trade agreement between members of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) and some other countries — including India. The Mysore District Cooperative Milk Producers Societies Union Ltd. fears that its interests could be jeopardised.
This fear stems from the possible fallout of the RCEP agreement which will pave the way for free imports of milk products.
The Union said there are 1,080 cooperative societies in Mysuru district alone who were dependent on dairy farming for sustenance and 90,000 families were part of it. Dairy farming was the main vocation for these families and they ensured regular milk supply to the entire region. All of this could be disrupted, the members said. At the national level, nearly 10 crore people were directly or indirectly dependent on it for a living. The Union feared that the free trade pact could have a negative bearing on the rural economy in general and the dairy farming sector in particular.
At present, there is an import duty of 15% upto 10,000 tonnes of dairy produce and 60% for any import above that. But this protection will cease and jeopardise the future of dairy farmers once the free trade pact gets official nod, said the union members.
It was pointed out that the dairy farming in the country has grown by leaps and bounds and there are measures in place to increase the output from 180 million tonnes at present to 330 million tonnes by 2033. This being the case, the government should take all steps to safeguard the interest of dairy farmers in the country and not be a signatory to any pact that prescribes duty-free import, said the union.
