After Opposition In Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Amul Invests Big In Andhra
After facing flak and opposition in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Amul finally found its base in Southern India. On Tuesday, as the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy performed the Bhumi pujan at Chittoor Dairy to begin the restoration works of the shutdown dairy plant, it affirmed Amul’s position in South India. In the first phase, Amul will invest Rs 150 crore in the plant and will be processing 1 lakh litres of milk per day in the next 10 months.
The move surely will have its political impact in days to come. It may be recalled that Amul has faced opposition in recent times from states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In April this year, Amul had faced a major backlash in poll bound Karnataka, as the state has its local brand KMF which sells milk and curd in the State under the brand name of Nandini. After Amul announced its arrival in the state on social media, hastags like #Savenandini #GobackAmul started trending on Twitter. Congress and BJP are at loggerheads after Amul's announcement of entry in the Bengaluru market. Congress has accused the then ruling BJP of plotting a conspiracy to kill the state's formidable dairy brand, Nandini.
In May this year, Amul was in the face of another controversy in Tamil Nadu, as a few media organisations reported that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking his directions to stop Amul from procuring milk from the milk shed of state cooperative Aavin, with immediate effect. He termed Amul’s actions “an infringement” on the dairy-producing area of Aavin.
However Tuesday finally saw Amul finding a stronghold in the southern market with Andhra Pradesh.
While addressing a public meeting at the police parade grounds in the district, the CM said that the restoration of the dairy plant was one of the promises made during his padyatra. The CM said that the pending dues of Rs 182 crore of the dairy plant have been cleared now. The state government signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Amul group which agreed to invest Rs 385 crore for the revival and restoration of the dairy plant. The CM said that the largest ice cream manufacturing facility in the country would be built as part of revitalisation of Chittoor dairy, at a cost of Rs 150 crore.
The CM said that the state government has been reviving the dairy sector in the state by bringing in Amul, the largest dairy in the country. On 20 December, 2020, ‘Jagananna Pala Velluva’ was launched and within 2 years, under this scheme, Amul collected 8,78,56,917 litres of milk and the government has been transferring money into the accounts of dairy farmers once in every 10 days.
Jagan hit back at his predecessor Chandrababu Naidu in whose regime the dairy plant was shut down. “Twenty years ago, in 2002, the Chittoor dairy plant was shut down without any notice when Chandrababu Naidu was the CM,” said Jagan. He said that Naidu conspired against the plant and cheated the farmers of his own district to end the competition to his family’s dairy company, the Heritage group which was set up in 1992.
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