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INDIA

‘If consumers don’t give pouches back, how can we

implement buyback plan?’: Vinayakrao Patil
The state government has banned the usage of plastic in all forms and dairies were asked to
come up with a plan on how they would be buying back the used pouches. Manufacturers of
plastic pouches had announced in December they will stop production and dairies had also
announced that they would stop delivering milk in pouches.
Written by Partha Sarathi Biswas | • Pune |
Published: June 23, 2019 4:34:49 am

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Can the plastic
 Festive season: City collects additional 1,800 tonnes garbage

Vinayakrao Patil is the chairman of the Maharashtra Milk Producers and Processors Welfare Association

Maharashtra’s dairies are in a x over the state government’s insistence about recycling of
plastic pouches. Earlier this week, state’s Minister for Environment Ramdas Kadam gave the
dairies 15 days to ne-tune their plan to buyback pouches. The state government has banned
the usage of plastic in all forms and dairies were asked to come up with a plan on how they
would be buying back the used pouches. Manufacturers of plastic pouches had announced in
December they will stop production and dairies had also announced that they would stop
delivering milk in pouches. Kadam had then resolved the problem by promising to extend the
timeline for the buy-back plan. However, he refused to give dairies more time. The Indian
Express spoke to Vinayakrao Patil, chairman of the Maharashtra Milk Producers and
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1
Processors
Farmers’Welfare
union toAssociation, to understand
contest Haryana the situation.
Assembly polls

2
WithOsmanabad:
the minister16-year-old
rm on the buy-back
who plan,
scored 94.2 perwhat willSSC
cent in be‘commits
the nextsuicide’
step for dairies? Also, why is
it so di cult for dairies to come up with a plan?

When the state government announced the plan to ban plastic, dairies were expected to print a
3
Gurgaon: Nuh man arrested in five cases of theft
buy-back price on their pouches. This price, it was expected, would prod customers to bring
back pouches to retail distributors, from where the dairies were to collect and transport them to
recyclers. This was part of the extended producer responsibility (ERP) for dairies. There are,
however, many roadblocks to this plan.

To start with, even after printing the buyback prices, retail customers did not bring the used
pouches back to retailers. Most milk retailers operate out of small premises and storing
pouches are di cult for them. Even for dairies, storage and transportation of used pouches
present a new hazard, which they are not properly equipped to handle. However, if consumers
do not give the pouches back, how can we implement this plan?

We will call a meeting of the association in the next few days where a nal decision will be
taken.

Are pet bottles or glass bottles a replacement for plastic pouches?

No, neither is feasible for mass consumption both in terms of technology and price. Milk prices
will increase by Rs 10-15 per litre if we use glass bottles. Handling and transportation costs will
also increase. Similarly, in case of pet bottles, there will be an increase of Rs 4 to 5 per litre,
which will hurt both the consumers and the dairies in the long run.

In case of pet bottles, the technology will require heating the bottles and then lling them up
with milk. Dairies do not have that technology as of now. So, there is no question of shifting to
those options.

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How has the presence of out-of-state players like Amul (Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing
Federation) and Nandini (Karnataka Milk Federation) affected the working of dairies in
Maharashtra?

Players like Amul and Nandini pose many challenges. Governments in those states have
extended nancial support, including production incentives, directly to farmers time and again.
Due to such incentives, their dairies are able to reduce their working cost, something which is
not possible for dairies in Maharashtra. Cooperative dairies face the toughest challenge, as
they are forced to pay the procurement price decided by the state government, which the
private dairies do not have to. Overall, the dairy industry in the state is passing through a tough
time and government policies towards it are not conducive.

Recently, Amul had increased the price of packed milk by Rs 2. Most dairies in the state are not
able to increase the price of milk as retail sellers are not ready to sell milk at an increased price.
The fragmented market has not helped the sector.

What is the present situation of milk procurement in the state?

The drought has taken a severe toll on milk production in the state. On an average, the
procurement has fallen by 25 per cent and chances of further correction cannot be ruled out. At
present, dairies are paying anything between Rs 25-27 per litre as the procurement price to
farmers. Chances of further price rise also cannot be ruled out in Maharashtra.

1 Comment(s)

Plastic Packaging Amul

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1Farmers’ union to contest Haryana Assembly polls

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