The Hindu : New Delhi News : It’s for States to decide on milk prices: Sharad Pawar

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It’s for States to decide on milk prices: Sharad Pawar

Gargi Parsai

North facing shortage; Minister criticises States for poor dairy development

NEW DELHI: With north India facing milk shortage, the States will have to take a view on whether prices should be increased to ensure procurement, Union Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar has said .

Even as he dismissed suggestions of an imminent hike in milk price, the Minister said some States were looking at price increase to augment supplies.“Unless there is a decision on prices, I do not know whether the States will be able to procure milk to meet the demand. It is a State subject. We do not take decisions here,” he told journalists at a State Ministers’ Conference on Animal Husbandry and Dairying here.

Milk prices have steadily been going up. The prices of branded milk were hiked in Delhi in October with Mother Dairy taking the lead. The States reportedly want to revise prices to pay more to producers for augmenting supplies. National Dairy Development Board Chairman Amrita Patel warned the meeting: “If we cannot meet the demand for milk domestically, it may lead to import of milk products.”

An official document said international agencies already projected that India might have to import milk products in the years to come. At the same time, it said as India was the largest milk producing nation, imports of milk products, even in small quantities, could spike international prices and result in higher import prices and higher consumer prices. About 40 per cent of the rural population owned milch animals, while the rest purchased milk and would be hit the hardest. Therefore enhancing domestic production was the best option.

Earlier, Mr. Pawar said the demand for milk was projected at 166 million tonnes by 2020 and at about 180 million tonnes by 2021-22.

Output

“This demands an average incremental increase in output of five million tonnes per year as against an average increase of 3.2 million tonnes in the last 15 years.”

The Minister criticised the States for poor dairy development and wondered why they were not using all funds earmarked for the purpose. The government was working on a National Dairy Plan on an outlay of Rs. 17,371 crore to improve bovine productivity and increase milk production.

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