Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) will increase the selling price of milk by ₹3 a litre, federation chairman Balachandra Jarkiholi said in Hoolihatti village of Belagavi district on Sunday.
“The revised price will help farmers as procurement price will go up automatically,’‘ he said.
He was speaking at a foundation stone laying ceremony for a refrigeration and cold storage facility being built by the Belagavi district milk union at a cost of ₹10 crore.
“It is absolutely essential that the selling price of milk is increased immediately. All the 16 milk unions in the State have sent a proposal to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. We took a decision in the general body meeting and approached the government. I have met Mr. Bommai and apprised him of our constraints. I am sure he will agree to our demand and allow us to hike the price,’‘ Mr. Jarkiholi said.
He added that “the full benefit of the revised price’‘ will go to milk producing farmers.
The refrigeration unit will come up on a five acre area. It will have a capacity to cool 30,000 litres per day. The capacity will be doubled in the next few years. The unit will process cow and buffalo milk separately. KMF is sharing half the cost of the project.
KMF will set up a state-of-the-art Nandini milk plant in Belagavi at a cost of ₹400 crore. It will create 4,000 jobs, Mr. Jarkiholi said. He advised young people to take up animal husbandry and dairying on a large scale. It will help solve several problems, including rural unemployment.
“You should learn from young farmers in South Karnataka where, invariably, everyone is taking up dairying. I have seen so many even landless farmers keeping cows and buffaloes,” he said.
Member of Legislative Assembly Mahantesh Dodagoudar said that the Hoolihatti unit will help local farmers immensely. Farmers of 25 milk cooperative societies collect over 15,300 litres per day. There is a demand for a refrigeration centre in Hoolihatti, from farmers in Kittur, Bailhongal, Khanapur and Belagavi. “We are thankful to Mr. Jarkiholi for accepting our demand,” he said.
Sri Rajayogindra Swami of Kittur Kalmath, Sri Panchakshari Swami of Madiwaleshwar Math, Sri Linganand Swami of Hoolihatti, Belagavi milk union president Vivek Patil, union managing director G. Srinivasan, KMF managing director B.C. Satish and others were present.
