No question of merger with Amul: KMF chief

Belagavi: Amid the Amul-Nandini row ahead of the Karnataka elections, KMF chairman and MLA Balachandra Jarkiholi clarified on Tuesday that there is no question of merging the two brands.
Speaking to mediapersons in Belagavi, Jarkiholi said rumours of a proposed merger are being spread with political intent.
“By spreading such false messages, the opposition parties are trying to gain political mileage and defame BJP,” the BJP MLA said.
Jarkiholi clarified that neither Union home minister Amit Shah nor the government can put pressure on KMF for a merger. The board of directors (19 members) in KMF is supreme.
“As KMF chairman, I want to convey to farmers, consumers and around 2 lakh employees of KMF that they (board of directors) will not give any opportunity for Nandini to merge with Amul,” he said.
Jarkiholi said the December 2022 statement by Shah had mentioned about merger of five milk federations, but the proposal didn’t comprise Nandini.
Replying to allegations over Amul’s entry in the Karnataka market, Jarkiholi said already, more than 10 milk companies are competing with Nandini in Bengaluru. Even in Belagavi region, Amul is in competition for over seven years, but it hasn’t crossed 500-litre sales, he added.
The Congress party has been protesting over the alleged plans to merge KMF with Gujarat-based Amul.