Not even one gram of milk powder will be imported: Shah assures farmers

Mumbai: Amid protests and resentment among farmers, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that the Centre has no plans to import milk-powder and accused the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (I.N.D.I.A) of spreading misinformation. 

“In the last ten years (of Prime Minister Narendra Modi), not even one kg of milk powder was imported. In the next five years, not even one gram of milk powder will be imported,” said Shah about the BJP-led NDA government.

Referring to the decisions of the Dr Manmohan Singh-headed Congress-led UPA government, Shah chose to hit out at NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar, who was the then Union Agriculture Minister. 

“In fact, I also got confused and called up (Union Commerce and Industry Minister) Piyush Goyal…he  told me that this was not the NDA government’s decision but that of Sharad Pawar. Don't be confused. The circular was made by them,” he said. 

Shah’s comments come in the wake of last week’s farmers' convention held at Akole in Ahmednagar district of Western Maharashtra. 

The farmers' convention was held in the backdrop of the intense milk farmers' struggle in the state, demanding a price of Rs 40 per litre for cow milk, along with other demands.

This agitation is continuing for nearly a month, and is being led by the Milk Producers Joint Struggle Committee, of which the All India Kisan Sabha is one of the main constituents. The farmers' convention gave full and active support to the milk farmers' struggle. 

The main speaker at the convention was Pawar. 

The other speakers were CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and AIKS National President Dr Ashok Dhawale, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Bhausaheb Wakchaure, NCP (SP) MP Nilesh Lanke, Congress ex-MLA Sharad Tambe, CPI(M) State Secretariat member and AIKS State General Secretary Dr Ajit Nawale, NCP youth leader Amit Bhangre, INC leader Jayashree Thorat, and others. 

All the speakers came down heavily on the anti-farmer and pro-corporate policies of the BJP-NDA government at the Centre, and also that in the State. 

They demanded a remunerative MSP for all agricultural products including milk, complete farm loan waiver by the Centre, a fully revamped crop insurance scheme, pensions, and so on. 

They also lambasted the immorality, corruption and betrayal of the current State Government, and gave a clarion call to defeat it lock, stock and barrel in the State Assembly elections due in just three months in October 2024.

After this convention Dr Ashok Dhawale and Dr Ajit Nawale visited the large milk-producing Kotul village in Akole tehsil, where they fully supported a day-and-night farmers dharna on the milk price issue which entered its 14th day. The struggle would be  intensified on 23 July with a large tractor rally to Sangamner.