No milk shortage in Tamil Nadu says govt, as dairy farmers begin protest for price rise

Chennai: As a section of dairy farmers in Erode on Friday emptied containers of milk on the road in a dramatic gesture commencing agitations for a better procurement price, the Tamil Nadu government denied that the protests had caused a shortage of milk anywhere in the State.

The dairy farmers are demanding a raise of Rs 7 per litre of milk.

Their counterparts in Madurai and other parts of the state too brought along their cows and demonstrated similarly on the roads.

Although the state government has denied that there is a shortage of milk, members of the Tamil Nadu Milk Producers' Welfare Association (TNMPWA) president V Rajendran said they would gradually withdraw their supplies to press for their demand to the State government. "The association has sought an increase of only Rs 7 per litre from Rs 35 per litre of cow milk and Rs 44 per litre of buffalo milk," he said. "We had already conveyed this through our memorandum submitted to the government. If it comes into effect, the new prices will touch Rs 42 and Rs 51, respectively," he said, claiming that private firms were procuring milk at Rs 45 to 47 per litre.

Meanwhile, State Dairy Development Minister S M Nasar said the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers' Federation Limited, popularly known as Aavin, continued to receive stock from its member societies.

"There's no shortage of milk or glitch in the supply to consumers anywhere due to the protest," he said. "Milk supply has been regular. Only one union resorted to the strike," the Minister added while speaking to reporters in Tiruvallur.

Though there were about 9,384 milk supplying societies across Tamil Nadu only one of them was protesting, he claimed.

A union that held parleys with the government had sought a hike of Rs 7 per litre of milk and its representatives were assured of appropriate action once the issue was brought to the notice of the Chief Minister, Nasar said.

TNMPWA, which supplies milk to Aavin, however, said it would continue the strike till an agreement was reached with the government.