To relieve Milkfed’s dairy farmers from debt burden on one hand and encourage them to usher in ‘white revolution’ by enhancing milk production on the other, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday asked Milkfed to explore ways and means for introducing One Time Settlement (OTS) scheme for them.
Addressing a gathering of dairy farmers from 1,024 milk societies affiliated to Milk Union Ropar and Milk Plant Mohali during a function for disbursement of `7.85 crore as bonus and dividend out of the earnings of Milk Plant, Mohali for 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13, Badal asked Milkfed to work out the modalities for immediately putting the mechanism of OTS in place to the dairy farmers on the same pattern as introduced earlier in the industrial sector by the State Government.
Underscoring the need of diversification of agriculture due to squeezed margins of profitability from traditional farming, Badal called upon the farmers to switch over from the wheat-paddy rotation to high value added crops and allied farming especially dairy as it was far more remunerative.
“It is a high time to adopt dairy and other allied farming professions because the agriculture has already reached a point of saturation and was unable to make both ends of the farmers meet in view of high cost of agriculture inputs and diminishing returns due to stagnated MSP.
lauding the contribution of Milkfed and Milk Plant Mohali for the economic development of milk producers, the Chief Minister said that with the remunerative price being given by Milkfed to the milk producers the dairying had now become a profitable venture.
He stressed on producing clean milk at village level so that finished products of excellent quality may be manufactured and maximum amount realized for serving the farmers.
Badal also asked Milkfed authorities to work out a strategy of marketing Verka products in national and international market. “I would soon take up the issue with the Union Ministries of Civil Aviation and Railways to allow the sale of premium Verka products at all the Airports and Railway Stations,” he added.