Context :
Extract :
Faced with ample stocks
of skimmed milk powder (SMP) amid demand disruption in the bulk consuming
sector, largest dairy player Amul has approached the Gujarat government seeking
a ₹160-crore financial incentive to export the
surplus stocks.
And we have collected record milk during
the lockdown period and converted it into SMP and white butter. Now, there is
about 1.25 lakh tonnes of stocks of SMP available in the country,” said Sodhi
told BusinessLine.
During the lockdown period, Amul had procured additional 40-50
lakh litres of milk from producers, but due to insufficient bulk demand, it is now
sitting on SMP stocks of about 80,000 tonnes.
SMP prices have seen a
sharp decline from a peak of ₹330 per kg before
the lockdown in December 2019-January 2020 to about ₹130 a kg in June
==================================================
Where is the
IRONY ?
Some 50 years ago, I had an opportunity to attend a
lecture by Shri Verghese
Kurien ( Father of India’s White Revolution )
He narrated the following episode from those early days
of Amul :
He wanted lakhs of people to drink milk but there was
insufficient supplies from dairy farmers, in and around city of Anand ( Gujarat
)
That is when he read that Dutch dairy farmers had
overstocked on Skimmed Milk Powder and, in order to sustain a profitable
price-level, they were destroying this excess stock by dumping into the sea
He approached the Dutch Government and said :
“ To sustain price level, you don’t have to dump milk powder
in the sea. Just gift your surplus stock to Amul. I will add some water,
convert into milk and give it to poor people of India “
To the Dutch Government, this logic appealed. It would
also be a philanthropic act !
They said :
“ Granted . Take as much as you want .
Bring your ships and load up “
But the Dutch Government was totally unprepared for
what Verghese said next :
“ I have no money to rent ships. Please pay the rent
directly to Shipping companies. It will still cost you less than the cost that
you are incurring in destroying your surplus stocks “
The Dutch Government could not find fault with logic /
arithmetic of Verghese !
They agreed !
As they say :
Rest is History !
======================================================
If Verghese was still around, he would have told Shri Vijaybhai Rupani ( CM-Gujarat ) :
Amul is a “ for
profit “ co-operative society that is owned by lakhs of poor dairy farmers
Due to Covid,
these farmers are already on the brink of starvation
Hence, Amul cannot give away these 80,000 tons of SMP for
free
But you- the Government of Gujarat – certainly can
Please pay Amul , take these stock and distribute FREE
, 100 grams , to each of the 80 crore poor persons, all
over India, to whom the Central Government is going to give 5 kg of FREE food-grains during July-Nov
Let Gujarat demonstrate that it cares for the poor,
wherever they might be living / working
=========================================================
Dear Vijaybhai
Rupaniji,
( 079-23250074 / 9824811186 )
Not only Verghese but if
Bapu too was around, he would have made the same request to you
With regards,
Hemen Parekh
hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 03
July 2020
