Shetkari Sanghatana threatens to intensify milk strike if state ignores their demands

Demands Rs 5 hike in procurement price

To cut off milk supply to every city in the state, the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) has sought support from the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Shiv Sena ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Several incidents of milk tankers being stopped were reportd and some agitators were detained by the police. Congress-NCP and Sena members in the Upper and Lower House raised the issue and tried to bring a no-adjournment motion. Opposition parties alleged the government was deliberately ignoring the issue of dairy farmers.

Milk tankers were stopped in several districts of Maharashtra by protesters demanding a hike in procurement price, even as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis disapproved of the agitation. Agitators stopped milk tankers in various places and emptied them on roads as a mark of protest. The impact of the protest was felt by Amul dairy's collection centres at Vasai and Virar towns in the neighbouring Palghar district, as the cooperative giant decided not to collect milk from farmers on Monday. Amul is the single largest supplier of milk to Mumbai. If Amul's supply is affected, the impact will be felt by consumers, a senior state government official said.

As many as 55 lakh milk pouches are sold in Mumbai every day, with the Gujaratbased firm having the highest market share of 30 per cent, followed by Kolhapurbased Gokul, a dairy development department official had earlier said.

Farmers’ organisations are demanding a hike of Rs 5 per litre in milk procurement price. Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana chief Raju Shetti, who is spearheading the protest, said they were compelled to agitate as the state government had not paid heed to their demands. "We are not happy to waste milk but the government is protecting dairies and not considering farmers' woes," he alleged. "We have decided to protest out of compulsion as other ways to convince the government have failed," Shetti said. The agitation will intensify further if the state government fails to fulfil their demands, the Lok Sabha member from Kolhapur warned.

Ajit Nawale of the Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha, which works for farmers'

Milk tankers were stopped in several districts of Maharashtra by protesters demanding a hike in procurement price, even as CM Fadnavis disapproved of the agitation

rights, had said the agitation would be intensified further if the state government failed to procure milk at higher prices or did not give special subsidy to milk farmers. Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel too has extended his support to the agitation, said Shetti. Members of various farmers' organisations decided to escalate their protest after they noticed that despite their opposition, several dairies were planning to supply milk to major cities like Mumbai and Pune.

Meanwhile, Fadnavis disapproved of the agitation and said the government was open for talks on any issue. Assuring that milk supply would not be affected, he said the government has not adopted an “egoistic view” on any issue. “Our doors are always open for discussion. The government has not adopted an egoistic view on any issue. But the way the current protest is going on, is not right,” the CM told reporters in Nagpur. Fadnavis also did not favour the idea of transferring subsidy to the milk producers directly.