New Delhi, July 22, 2020: A number of farmer outfits across Maharashtra including the Raju Shetti-led Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS), staged a symbolic, day-long “milk agitation” on Tuesday demanding higher milk prices and subsidies for dairy farmers even as State Dairy Development Minister Sunil Kedar assured that the Maharashtra government would soon come up with a scheme to alleviate their financial plight.
Mr. Kedar met with representatives of the SSS, the Sadabhau Khot-led Rayat Shetkari Sanghatana, the left-affiliated All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and milk cooperatives at the Mantralaya in Mumbai today. However, the meeting was inconclusive.
Demand for subsidies
“There have been a number of demands ranging from giving a subsidy of ₹10 per litre on cow’s milk, to providing export subsidies on milk powder and waiving off the GST on ghee, butter and milk powder. I have taken note of all these. But I appeal to farmers not to waste milk during their agitation by throwing precious milk especially during these critical times with the pandemic raging in the State,” Mr. Kedar said.
Remarking that the ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ (MVA) government viewed the farmer as the cornerstone of the State’s economy, he assured that it would not let dairy farmers suffer financially.
“The State government will soon come out with a scheme to strengthen dairy farmers financially,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Khot and leaders of the AIKS and other outfits expressed disappointment and warned of intensifying the agitation in the coming days. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in Opposition in the State, has stepped into the fray demanding that dairy farmers be given an increase of ₹10 per litre cow’s milk failing which the party would launch an agitation from August 1.
Crashed prices
“Milk prices have come crashing down to ₹18-20 per litre since the last two months. The pandemic has hit around 50 lakh dairy farmers and producers in the State. We have urged the State to provide direct financial assistance to them by depositing ₹10 per litre in their bank accounts and give a subsidy of ₹50 per kg of milk powder,” Mr. Khot said.
Stressing that the farmers had no wish whatsoever to throw away their milk produce on the streets, he said that they had no option left in the current scenario. Mr. Khot, an ally of the BJP and a bitter adversary of Mr. Shetti, further said that constituents of the ‘Maha Yuti’ alliance, along with other farmer outfits would decide on their course of action in the next two days.
Meanwhile, in Kolhapur, Satara and Sangli districts in western Maharashtra — the State’s sugar and dairy heartland — SSS activists were seen stopping milk tankers. The agitation gained momentum in the Marathwada region as well.
Supply disrupted
In Pandharpur in Solapur district, tyres were burnt late on Monday night and placed as barricades to stop milk trucks moving out of the temple town.
In Karad in Satara district, SSS activists stopped a milk tanker and poured milk on the driver. In Kolhapur, a Gokul milk tanker was vandalised. In Beed district, the tyres of two milk tankers bound for Hyderabad were deflated by agitators according to the reports published in thehindu.com.
In Kolhapur and Buldhana, farmers were seen bathing themselves with milk. In Beed, slogans were raised against the MVA government while in Jalna district, Mr. Shetti’s party activists indulged in a free milk distribution drive.
“We will take a call on the future course of action and announce our decision in the next eight-ten days. Today, we have followed lockdown regulations. But if the Centre and the State governments do not accede to our demands, we will come out in strength and protest. It is a do or die situation for dairy farmers,” Mr. Shetti said.
“Today’s meeting with Mr. Kedar, in a sense was disappointing, as the State gave no concrete assurances nor proposed any intervention schemes bases on our demands. Our agitation will continue till the State government announces some tangible financial scheme,” said Dr. Ajit Nawale of the AIKS, adding that if the State government did not pay heed to the agitation, farmers would march to the residences of ruling party leaders and spill milk outside their homes.
