Milk farmers want NDDB, OMFED pact cancelled, caution of protest in Odisha

The Odisha Milk Farmers’ Association (OMFA) on Saturday demanded cancellation of the memorandum of understanding signed between Odisha government, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (OMFED) stating it is against the interests of state’s milk farmers.

President of OMFA, Rabi Behera stated in the MoU that all work of OMFED like packaging, quality control and marketing have been transferred to NDDB. He said OMFED was created in 1980 by the then government to check distress sale of milk and provide quality milk and milk-based products to consumers at affordable prices.

The aim of creating OMFED was to strengthen rural economy as well as make small and marginal farmers, unemployed youth and women self-dependent and improve their financial condition. Behera asked how far is it justified to hand over a profit making organisation like OMFED to Gujarat-based NDDB. A similar decision taken by the Karnataka government last year to hand over the state’s iconic milk brand to NDDB had to be cancelled due to protests by milk farmers. Behera demanded the MoU be cancelled else the farmers will take to the streets.