Milk shortage in N India, prices may shoot up: Pawar TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar seems to have courted
controversy over food prices yet again when he told a conference in the
Capital that north India was facing a milk shortage and the states needed to
decide whether to hike rates for milk procurement.
The minister’s remarks on milk shortage were read by Opposition parties
as a signal that would encourage traders and retailers to raise prices of
dairy products in general. While Congress did not join issue with Pawar,
with party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi sidestepping a query whether a
doctor who fails to diagnose an ailment ought to be removed, he did say the
government was expected to move expeditiously on price rise.
“Certainly, every effort is being made (by the government). But there is
definitely scope for improvement and we are pushing for it,” Singhvi said,
pointing out that prices for some commodities had declined and this was due
to the “same department (agriculture)”.
Pawar had earlier drawn considerable criticism for saying he did not see
food prices moderating for a year due to a shortfall in kharif production.
He was more recently at the receiving end after sugar touched Rs 50 a kg and
an urgent intervention by the Congress leadership saw the Cabinet Committee
on Prices announcing a slew of measures to curb price rise.
Speaking at a conference on milk productivity, Pawar on Wednesday said,
“We are facing insufficient availability of milk, especially in northern
India. In October, we had taken a decision on prices. Today, there is a
demand that we should hike the prices.” Already branded full cream milk by
Amul and Mother Dairy is selling at Rs 28 a litre and dairy cooperatives are
pressing for an increase in rates due to procurement problems.
While Pawar was referring to the demand to raise prices and pointing out
that if states did not agree to hike rates there would be a supply crisis as
well as price rise, his remarks relating to a shortage were a red rag for
the Opposition.
Apart from Mayawati with whom Pawar has had a run-in over UP not
allowing millers to process imported raw sugar, CPI also criticised the
minister. CPI’s D Raja said Pawar’s remarks were bound to result in price
rise and that the minister should have been more circumspect in his
formulation.
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