Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to Union Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Thursday, May 25, urging him to direct Gujarat-based dairy cooperative Amul to stop procuring milk from the milk shed area of Tamil Nadu government’s milk cooperative Aavin. In a letter to Amir Shah, Stalin wrote, “It has been a norm in India to let cooperatives thrive without infringing on each other’s milk-shed area,” urging the Union Minister to intervene and protect Aavin. The development comes in the wake of the controversy in Karnataka over Amul’s entry into the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF)’s market and the implications for its iconic brand ‘Nandini.’
Stalin noted that it was recently brought to the state government’s notice that the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (Amul) in Vellore had utilised their multi-state cooperative license to install chilling centres and a processing plant in Krishnagiri district, with plans to procure milk from Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupathur, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts through self-help groups and farmer producer organisations.
Stalin expressed his concern over unhealthy competition growing between Amul and Aavin and the effect it would have on the farmers dependent on Tamil Nadu government’s milk cooperative. Aavin has 4.5 lakh pouring members across the state producing 33 lakh litres of milk per day, Stalin noted.
On May 23, The New Indian Express had reported that Amul’s marketing division had issued advertisements inviting farmers to supply milk in the northern districts of the state. It also mentioned that Amul had advertised to offer a higher price than Aavin — one or two rupees more per litre.
“I would like to draw your urgent attention to the issues arising out of milk procurement by the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (AMUL) in the Tamil Nadu milk shed area. Till now, AMUL was just selling their products through their outlets in the state.
In Tamil Nadu, like in other states with strong dairy cooperatives, a three-tier dairy cooperative system is functioning effectively since 1981 for the benefit of the rural milk producers and consumers,” Stalin said in his letter.
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