Odisha: Milk farmers’ body urges Union minister for MSP of Milk

BHUBANESWAR: Members of the Odisha Milk Farmers’ Association (OMFA) on Sunday submitted a memorandum to Sanjeev Balyan, Union minister of state for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, here demanding minimum support price (MSP) for milk at Rs 50 per litre.
Now there is no MSP system for milk like paddy in Odisha. “Many people, especially women, are involved in dairy farming in the country. But the milk producers do not get remunerative prices for their produce. Hence, there is a need to fix up milk MSP in view of price rise,” said OMFA chairman Rabi Behera.
The association requested the minister, who was on Odisha tour, to take initiative for inclusion of milk and milk products in the mid-day meal (MDM) programme and Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS). It will help the country to fight malnutrition among pregnant women and children, said Behera.
They also demanded the Centre to install milk parlours on National Highways which can create additional employment opportunities for unemployed youths. Travelers going inter-state can get tea, coffee, milk powder, rabidi, curd, ghee, sweet milk and other milk products there.
In the memorandum, the association suggested the minister to install dedicated Milk Hubs in the premises of different temples of the country for the rituals of the gods and goddesses. Such hubs can be established inside Jagannath Temple at Puri and Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar, Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh, Somnath Temple in Gujarat, Kedarnath and Badrinath in Uttarakhand, Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati and Guruvayur temple in Kerala.
They demanded the government to protect grazing ground (Gochara Land) across the country for the benefit of milk farmers and cows.
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