In the run up to the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, the Congress party had pitted Karnataka’s state-owned Nandini against Amul which had announced its plans to commence door delivery of Amul’s Taaza milk.
Congress leaders argued that in Karnataka only Nandini should be sold and the entry of Amul will threaten the local brand.
Taking a leaf out of their ally’s playbook, the DMK in Tamil Nadu is now trying to milk a similar issue by pitting state-owned Aavin with Amul.
Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday sought the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in requesting Gujarat-based milk cooperative Amul to stop procuring from the milk shed area of Tamil Nadu’s cooperative Aavin, citing unhealthy competition.
In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin explained the implications of milk collection by the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, commonly known as Amul, in Tamil Nadu’s dairy-producing regions.
According to MK Stalin, it has long been the practice in India to allow cooperatives to thrive without interfering with each other’s milk-shed area. “The act of Amul infringes on Tamil Nadu Aavin’s milk shed area, which has been nurtured in true cooperative spirit over decades,” he said.
“Such cross-procurement goes against the spirit of ‘Operation White Flood’ and will exacerbate problems for the consumers given the prevailing milk shortage scenario in the country,” CM Stalin said in his letter.
MK Stalin attempted to explain the importance of Aavin in Tamil Nadu saying, “Aavin is our apex cooperative marketing federation. Under the ambit of Aavin co-operative, 9,673 Milk Producers Co-operative Societies are functioning in rural areas. They procure 35 LLPD of milk from about 4.5 lakh pouring members. Under this current arrangement, milk producers are assured of remunerative and uniform prices throughout the year by the cooperative societies.”
“Regional cooperatives have been the bedrock of dairy development in the states and they are better placed to engage and nurture producers and to cushion consumers from arbitrary price hikes.
Therefore, I request your urgent intervention to direct Amul to desist from milk procurement from the milk shed area of Aavin in Tamil Nadu with immediate effect,” the Chief Minister said.
However, Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai refuted Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s arguments with facts, claiming that the CM is using diversionary tactics and theatrics to incite the Amul vs Aavin narrative in Tamil Nadu.
Annamalai stated in his tweet that Aavin’s daily procurement of milk from farmers is a small share, 35 LLPD (Lakh Litres Per Day), compared to the state’s total production of 244 LLPD, and that Aavin’s average milk procurement from farmers has dropped to 32LLPD since May 2021, when the DMK took power in the state.
“Is the Tamil Nadu CM wary of the fact that Aavin’s milk procurement in TN on the overall milk produced in the state is only 14%?” Annamalai asked.
Annamalai also cited incidents in the past in which former DMK minister ‘Avadi’ Nasser attempted to award Diwali sweet contracts to a private firm while ignoring Aavin, and how Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanium failed to include Aavin milk powder in the Nutrition kit tender for lactating mothers despite Aavin’s offer to manufacture it.
Annamalai said, “Thiru MK Stalin avl needs to consider increasing daily milk procurement & improving the livelihood of the hardworking farmers in the state and focus on making Aavin the number one Milk cooperative society in the country instead of engaging in his usual theatrics!”
The @arivalayam govt had to heed to @BJP4TamilNadu’s protest and cancel procurement of sweet boxes from Pvt party and were compelled to buy them from Aavin. @BJP4TamilNadu thoroughly exposed the @arivalayam govt for not considering Aavin milk powder in the Nutrition kit tender… https://t.co/3ARNxsIEUh
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) May 25, 2023
Netizens also questioned MK Stalin on why he is insisting on Amul not being operated in Tamil Nadu when his family can own an Indian Premier League team in Hyderabad. It is worth noting that Aavin purchases milk from farmers at a rate of Rs 32-34 per litre, whereas Amul purchases at a rate of Rs 34-38 per liter, which benefits milk farmers. This raises the logical question of whether MK Stalin is speaking on behalf of private dairy companies in Tamil Nadu who are concerned that Amul will reduce their market share.