Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government has given its consent to hand over for the next five years the operations of the Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Dairy Federation and the milk unions affiliated to it to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
This decision was made during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Tuesday here in Bhopal.
The opposition Congress, however, resisted the move, claiming that it was Gujarat co-operative dairy Amul's "backdoor" attempts to take over MP's state-run milk brand Sanchi.
"During the meeting, it was agreed that the Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Dairy Federation and its associated milk unions will be managed and operated by the NDDB for the next five years. For this, necessary approvals will be obtained and legal action will be taken," an official release said.
CM Yadav said that there is a consensus on giving responsibility to the NDDB to increase the income of farmers and cattle keepers by making the state a leader in milk production.
If required, necessary amendments will also be made in the Cooperative Act for this purpose, he said.
Madhya Pradesh stood at the third position in the country as it produces 9 to 10 per cent of the country's total milk production, Yadav said.
"Efforts will be made to make the state a leader in the country by providing facilities for animal husbandry and milk production to the farmer brothers in many villages of the state," he said.
After Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh is leading in milk production at present, he added.
Five and a half crore litres of milk is being produced in the state every day. In terms of the availability of milk per person, Madhya Pradesh's position is better than the national average, he said.
"While the availability of milk per person in the country is 459 grams per day, in Madhya Pradesh it is 644 grams," the CM said, adding that the target was to double the state's milk production in the next five years.
Officials of the NDDB and the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying were also present for the meeting.
Meanwhile Congress Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha questioned the state government's decision and termed it a take over by the Amul through backdoor.
In a post on X on Wednesday morning, Tankha said, "Sanchi, the trusted milk products brand of MP, is being taken over by Gujarat's famous brand Amul through the backdoor. This attempt was also made with Karnataka's Nandini (milk brand). The MP government may kneel down, but the 7.5 crore people of MP, for whom Sanchi is a household brand, will protest." Sanchi is the name of products, including milk packets manufactured and marketed by the Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Dairy Federation and its associated milk unions.