Former Minister and Hassan Milk Producers’ Union president H.D. Revanna has come down heavily on the State government and the Karnataka Milk Producers’ Federation for instructing the unions to stop milk procurement once in three days, in the wake of lockdown.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Mr. Revanna said he would not accept the instruction from the government. “The federation in profit is penalising the milk producers. It is not fair to close down dairies once in three days. It is the responsibility of KMF to equip the system to make better use of the milk procured,” he said.
Of the total 69 lakh litres of milk collected every day, only 40 lakh litres were being utilised. The federation can convert only 22 lakh litres of milk into other products. The remaining seven lakh litres in excess. “But, it is the responsibility of the federation to handle the situation, and declaring a holiday is not acceptable. If the federation does not come to the rescue of the farmers, it is better to close it down,” he said.
Regarding the government’s measures taken against COVID-19, Mr. Revanna said except the Health Minister and Medical Education Minister, none had taken the issue seriously. The Kerala government had allocated ₹20,000 crore to handle the crisis, and Karnataka too should take a similar measure, he said.
