Centre likely to fix MSP for milk

Under pressure from the protesting dairy farmers in Maharashtra, the Centre may fix a minimum support price (MSP) for milk to ensure a minimum profit for farmers ahead of the coming Lok Sabha polls in 2019. A high level meeting has been convened at the Agriculture Ministry to this effect.  Dairy farmers have been demanding to fix MSP for milk.

Top sources told The Pioneer that senior officials of Agriculture Ministry have discussed the issue of MSP for milk to ensure more profit to farmers and their products. 

“Dairy farmers have been demanding to fix MSP for milk.  This was the first time that the Ministry has discussed it. There are apprehensions that if MSP is fixed for milk, then prices of milk products across the country could shoot up,” said the sources. 

“Agriculture Ministry and Railways are preparing a blueprint to make milk available at railway stations across the country to promote its consumption. The issue was also discussed at the high level meeting,” sources added.

In the retail market, consumers pay from Rs 35 to Rs 42 a litre milk depending on the quality and cream level while dairy farmers get between Rs 17 and Rs 20 per litre across the country.

The production cost comes around Rs 14-15 a litre.

All India Kisan Mahasangh’s CEO Binod Panday said that the Government should fix MSP for milk to protect dairy farmers interest and to ensure a minimum profit for them. “Farmers sell their milk at Rs 17- or Rs 20 a kg while consumers pay from Rs 35 to 42 a litre,” Pandey added. 

In June last year, dairy farmers poured thousands of litres of milk on the streets across the Maharashtra, to protest against the State Government for not fixing procurement rates. The Government said it was working out a mechanism to ensure farmers get the MSP. After the protests, the Maharashtra Government has fixed MSP for milk at Rs 27 per litre. But it was never implemented and farmers are still getting Rs 17 a litre.

On Wednesday, the protesting dairy farmers in Maharashtra decided to bring cattle on the road to block the movement.

“The State Government seems in no mood to listen to the woes of milk-producing farmers, who will hold a chakka-jam (road block) protest on major roads in the State . There will be cattle on roads from Thursday,” Swabhimani Paksha MP Raju Shetti said.

India is the largest milk producing country in the world. It produces more than 155.5 million tons of milk each year. It holds a share of 17 per cent to the global milk production. Uttar Pradesh is in the top of the list milk producing State, followed by Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. Per capita consumption of milk in India is 355 gram per day.