Dairy industry appeals Centre to protect milk-farmers interest

Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing federation (GCMMF) has appealed to the Central Government to protect the interests of milk farmers in Gujarat and other parts of the country.
    
The GCMMF consists of dairies in Vadodara, Panchmahals, Surat, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Banaskantha, Mehsana and other parts of the state.
    
Parthiv Bhatol, president and BM Vyas managing director of GCMMF at Anand about 35 km from here, were part of the delegation of the Indian Dairy Association which called on the prime minister Manmohan Singh and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and submitted a letter in this regard.
    
"The prime minister has assured us to look into their demands," Bhatol told PTI.
     
The demands include amendment in Cooperative Act, reduction in Income Tax on co-operatives which will help in improving returns to farmer members, VAT on all value-added dairy products to be fixed at 4% , classification of advances to Dairy Cooperatives under Priority Sector Lending, etc.