The Maharashtra government had already in January 2024 given a subsidy of Rs 5 per liter to milk producers and farmers on cow milk collected by cooperative milk unions and private milk projects in the state, but this subsidy was given only for three months.
According to the report, 1 crore 45 lakh 21 thousand milk is produced in the state every day and 1.62 crore liters of milk is purchased every day. According to a report by Rahuri Agricultural University, the production cost of one liter of cow’s milk is Rs 40 to Rs 43 and one liter of cow’s milk is being sold at Rs 39, so milk producers are suffering losses.
No need for subsidy
Due to which the milk producers are agitating for a minimum purchase price of Rs 40 per litre. Farmers also went on a fast for this and the milk producers no longer want a subsidy of Rs 5 but they want an increase in the price of milk. State Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil has discussed this matter with Union Minister Piyush Goyal and put the demands of the farmers before him. According to a discussion, the milk producers’ agitation is mostly going on in Maharashtra, the demand is not being raised from across the country, so the central government is unlikely to take any action in this matter. However, the central government is likely to leave the matter to the state government.
Vikhe Patil met Amit Shah
As per another discussion, there are assembly elections in Maharashtra, so the government can subsidize milk producers instead of raising prices to attract them. Vikhe Patil met Union Minister Amit Shah around July 4 and discussed the matter, when Amit Shah asked to send a proposal. Now even after 15 days no movement is visible.
Only in Maharashtra are milk producers raising their voice on the issue, however, with no movement seen on milk prices in other states, the central government is unlikely to take a decision for just one state.
