Milk-less in Mumbai! Maximum city set to run dry!

Already facing monsoon fury, residents of Mumbai may have to confront another big problem! However, rather than surfeit, they will now have to face the possibility of the city going dry. Mumbaiites, in coming days, are likely to be deprived of milk and milk products in the wake of "indefinite blockade" threat by farmers demanding hike in procurement prices. According to reports, Mumbaikars may find it difficult to get milk for their daily cup of tea as farmers' organisations have vowed to block milk supplies to urban pockets from Monday.
 
“We will launch an indefinite blockade to prevent milk from reaching cities. The state government must pay dairy farmers Rs 5 per litre of milk sold by them or milk federations must hike procurement prices,” Raju Shetti, farmer leader and Lok Sabha MP from Hatkanangale in Kolhapur, whose Swabhimaani Shetkari Sangthana had called for the protest, told DNA.
 
The Swabhimaani Shetkari Sangthana reportedly wields influence in Western Maharashtra’s milk-producing areas, but the organisation has received a shot in the arm with support from Palghar strongman Hitendra Thakur as well as the CPI-M. Shetti said Thakur’s Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), JDU MLC Kapil Patil, the CPI-M’s Kisan Sabha and Gujarat’s Patidar leader Hardik Patel had reportedly extended their support to the protest. The protest is likely to block supply from neighboring state via the Mumbai- Ahmedabad highway, thereby depriving the corporate capital of these basic needs. 
 
According to the DNA report, DV Ghanekar, managing director, Kolhapur district co-operative milk producers union, which markets ‘Gokul’ brand, stated that they would stop milk collection for a day on Monday in solidarity. 
 
“We are seeking that like in Karnataka, the government must pay dairy farmers a direct per litre subsidy,” he told DNA.
 
Ghanekar reportedly said that around 7.5 lakh of the daily 11 lakh milk sold by Gokul is sent to Mumbai, adding farmers got around Rs 29 per litre for cow milk and Rs 46 for buffalo milk.
 
Notably, Maharashtra’s daily milk production is 2.8 crore litre, the marketable surplus (milk sold) is 1.40 crore litre, while Mumbai’s demand is 55 lakh litres daily that comes through the dairies in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
 
Dr Ajit Navale of the CPI-M’s Kisan Sabha reportedly said they had supported the protest and would stop milk supply from regions like Solapur and Ahmednagar.
 
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Meanwhile, Rajiv Jadhav, commissioner, dairy development, told DNA that Mumbai had a two-day buffer stock of milk, adding “The entire supply of milk to Mumbai will not be affected... District collectors and superintendents of police have been asked to take precautions.” 

Why Hike Demand Has Been Made

1-Cost of production for farmers Rs 35 per litre
2-Procurement prices Rs 19 to Rs 33
3-Daily milk production 2.8 crore litre
4-Milk sold 1.40 crore litre
5-Mumbai's demand 55 lakh litre