Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (FAHD), on Friday denied reports that the government is considering importing milk products amid stagnant production and growing demand.
Speaking during the launch of the Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative (APPI), Rupala responded to questions from the media and said: “There is no substance in any such move. There would be no such import… According to me, there is no need to worry too much about prices. Farmers are getting adequate prices,” he said.
The minister’s statement comes amid growing concerns that interests of dairy farmers are being hurt in a year in which they could have taken advantage of comparatively higher prices. Milk output in the country stood at 221 million tonnes in 2021-22, up 6.25 per cent from 208 million tonnes in the previous year, as per the official data.
The statement also stands in contradiction to what Animal Husbandry and Dairy Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on April 5.
Addressing a press conference, Singh had said the country may look at importing dairy products if needed as there is a supply constraint for such items due to milk production remaining stagnant in the last fiscal.
He had added that the government will intervene to import dairy products like butter and ghee, if required, after assessing the stock position of milk in southern states, where the flushing (peak production) season has started now.
Reports of the possibility that India may import milk products like ghee and butter had evoked a sharp reaction from former agriculture minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
In a letter to Parshottam Rupala, Pawar had said: “Any decision by the central government in this regard will be totally unacceptable because the import of these products will directly affect the income of the domestic milk producers.”
He said the dairy farmers have recently come out of the unprecedented Covid-19 crisis and such a decision will severely impede the sector’s revival process.
Issuing a statement following Pawar’s letter, the ministry said: “In case the situation warrants, the import may be done to ease out the situation for the dairy cooperatives to meet the summer demands. However, in that case also it will be ensured that it is routed only through NDDB and the needy unions may be given stocks at the market price after proper assessment. This will ensure that our market is not distorted and the interest of our dairy farmer is protected, which is paramount and central to any decision taken by the government.”
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