Maharashtra to procure 10L litres of milk at Rs 25 per litre: Ajit Pawar

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday decided to procure 10 lakh litres of milk per day at Rs 25 per litre.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said the collection of milk will begin in four to five days and will continue for two months.

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He said the coronavirus outbreak and the resultant lockdown had hit the dairy sector hard and almost 10 lakh litres of the 12 lakh litres of milk produced was going unsold, and market rates per litre had reached a low of Rs 15 -17.

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"The state government will procure ten lakh litres of milk through milk cooperative societies at Rs 25 per litre. The stock will be used to make milk powder which will be stored and sold online. It will implemented through the state Milk Cooperative Federation," Pawar said.

He said Rs 200 crore has been earmarked for this initiative.

Revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat said milk producers will benefit from this decision.