Committed to hike milk prices to safeguard farmers: Minister

The minister conceded that the lack of price revision, rising input costs, and fierce competition from private dairies were driving the dairy farmers in Karnataka to despair.

Citing huge losses incurred by milk unions and several farmers migrating to private dairies, Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh on Tuesday said that the state government is committed to increase the milk price in order to save the milk unions.

Replying to short discussion initiated by JD(S) members K A Thippeswamy and S L Bhoje Gowda in Legislative Council, Venkatesh conceded that the proposal to increase milk price was ready and was waiting for Chief Minister Siddarmaiah’s final approval.

“We have not finalised the quantum of increase in the milk prices, but surely it will be finalised after discussing with the CM,” he said.

The minister conceded that the lack of price revision, rising input costs, and fierce competition from private dairies were driving the dairy farmers in Karnataka, the second-largest milk producer in India, to despair.

“We are worried that state, home to the largest number of dairy co-operatives and producer members in South India, is lurching towards a crisis in the absence of immediate intervention. These factors have necessitated the rise in milk prices in the state with almost immediate effect,” he said.

He added that the government would set rules for all milk unions to disburse the milk subsidy released to these unions in a 70:30 ratio.

“With new norms coming into force, the milk unions will have to disburse 70% of subsidy to farmers while they can be allowed to retain up to 30% of subsidy released by the state government,” he claimed.

The minister assured the house that the government would take steps to release milk arrears that had been pending since February for OBC and General category farmers while for SC/ST farmers it had been pending since April.

Taking objections to the government releasing subsidy caste wise, BJP MLC Y A Narayanswamy demanded that the government should not adopt different yardsticks for SC/ST and general farmers while releasing funds. “Farmers should be seen as a single unit not divided caste wise,” he said.

Despite ruling party members appealing for remarks made by Naraynaswamy to be expunged, Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti insisted that the word ‘dabbalike’ (oppression) must not be expunged from books. During the debate, the chairman angrily asked Narayanaswamy not to repeatedly disrupt the minister, while giving his response on such important matter, but this angered Narayanswamy further.