Milk farmers threaten agitation in front of Assembly

Hundreds of milk farmers, including women, affiliated to the Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Welfare Association staged a demonstration in front of the collectorate here on Thursday demanding Aavin to procure the entire quantity of milk being supplied by the members of the primary milk producers’ cooperative societies and to press other demands.

K. A. Sengottuvel, president of the Association, led the agitation. Mr. Sengottuvel said that the Salem Aavin proposed to procure and handle seven lakh litres of milk per day in 2012-14 itself and fetched financial assistance from the National Dairy Development Board. Infrastructure facilities too were improved for the implementation of this project.

The Aavin did not take effective steps for augmenting the sale of milk and value added products in the last few years. Due to this, the Salem Aavin despite having the capacity to handle adequate milk, refuses to procure the entire quantity of milk at present supplied by the farmers.

Mr. Sengottuvel alleged that since April 2015, the Salem Aavin was bent only on reducing the procurement, without concentrating on the development activities.

The Salem Aavin despite having a procurement capacity of seven lakh litres per day, is procuring only 5.3 lakh litres. Due to this, the farmers are forced to sell the rest 1.7 lakh litres of milk to the private dealers. While the Aavin is providing a procurement price of Rs. 27 per litre, the private dealers were giving only Rs. 21 per litre.

Speaking to presspersons Mr. Sengottuvel expressed the hope that government will consider the just demands and will come out with favourable announcement in the current Assembly session. Failing which, the association will mobilise the milk farmers and hold dharna in front of the Assembly, he added.