Move goes against spirit of federalism and cooperatives, says Kerala's Milma chairman

What has been the response of milk federations of other states?
I have taken up the issue because other federations will be similarly affected. We made achievements because of the system developed by Verghese Kurien. If there are fissures in the system it won’t be beneficial for cooperatives.

Do you see a possibility of Nandini starting a processing unit here?
It is unlikely. Because the input cost is higher here. We give a lot of benefits to our farmers. KMMF takes advantage of government benefits to farmers to procure cheap milk and sells it here. 

How serious is the threat of a multi-state cooperative as envisioned by Amit Shah?
The merger of two big brands — Nandini and Amul — will create a major power. But there is opposition to the move in Karnataka. It will not be politically wise if farmers and the general public are against such a merger. 

Has Milma’s procurement from Karnataka been affected by KMMF’s stand?
There has been a substantial decrease in milk production in Karnataka. 
But there are reasons to assume that the denial is deliberate. We used to buy huge quantities of milk from Karnataka. 

Why should they eliminate a major customer who buys lakhs of litres of milk every day in order to sell a few thousand litres of packet milk? It is poor business strategy.

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