Private sector representation in national dairy board draws flak

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), which owns the popular dairy brand Milma, came out against the Centre’s move to bring in private sector representation in the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), an apex body of dairy cooperatives. Terming it as an attempt to infringe on the autonomy of the body, KCMMF chairman K S Mani said the proposal would seriously harm the cooperative dairy movement in the country.

According to him, the proposed amendments also run against the vision of Dr Verghese Kurien, the Milk Man of India, who devoted a lifetime to liberate the poor dairy farmers and the country’s dairy economy. “Milma will convey to the Centre its strong reservations against the proposed amendments as they would seriously affect the autonomy of NDDB and harm the interests of millions of dairy farmers and the dairy cooperative movement as a whole.

Milma will also seek the intervention of the state government to urge the Centre to abandon the move,” he said. As per an office memorandum of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, amendments to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Act, 1987, have been proposed to ensure better management and monitoring of the functions of the board.