Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today said there is a need to have a single milk brand to improve marketing of milk and its products in Maharashtra, on the lines of Gujarat’s Amul.
He said the state lagged behind Gujarat in terms of marketing of milk.
“In Gujarat, all milk cooperatives supply their product to Amul, which in turn market them very well. Whereas in Maharashtra, there is Gokul, Warna and Aarey. There is vast infrastructure but poor production,” he said after inaugurating a new facility of the state-owned Mahanand dairy here.
Praising efforts of Amul, Pawar said he recently inaugurated a dairy of five lakh litre capacity in Haryana.
“Amul will bring milk from Gujarat to Haryana. Even though Punjab and Haryana are self-sufficient in milk production, Amul has managed to enter the market in the northern state,” he said.
Pawar said when he enquired about the future plans of Amul, he was informed that a dairy would be set up in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.
“I told the authorities that Amul should focus on areas where milk collection is poor and leave markets in Maharashtra to local brands. But still Amul is all set to make a foray here because they see a very good market which we are not able to tap,” he said.
All milk cooperatives and government here should explore the possibility of having a single milk brand from Maharashtra, as it would help in better promotion and marketing.