RS Sodhi, Managing Director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF) — popularly known by the brand name Amul —stated that it is due to the freedom to sell to anyone that the milk farmers’ income and production increased.
Hinting at the controversial farm bill, Sodhi tweeted that today milk is the largest crop, which is worth Rs 8 lakh crore, even more than the combined value of wheat, paddy, and sugarcane. He added this is so because the farmers are free to sell and buyers are free to buy this perishable from anywhere. This upped the competition at the village level, he pointed out.
According to the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, it seeks to give freedom to farmers to sell their produce outside the notified APMC market yards (mandis). Moreover, the centre argues that it will facilitate better compensation through competitive alternative trading channels.
Sodhi went on to add, the contribution of milk has increased every year, so has the share of milk in farmers’ income even when the contribution of agriculture to national GDP declined.
However, his comment attracted different viewpoints.
