Pawar gets flak for milk scarcity remark

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who has been under fire over the escalating prices of sugar, on Wednesday hinted that the government may have to increase the price of milk too.

Pawar said the country was facing a severe shortage of milk. "A major problem we are facing is the insufficient availability of milk, particularly in northern India," he said.

The minister said the government was having a tough time keeping the price of milk under control.

Pawar's statement drew criticism from the Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation, the largest supplier of milk in the country. The federation said it had alerted the prime minister, finance minister and Pawar about the looming crisis but no action was taken.

The federation said a memorandum was submitted to the ministers in August last year, seeking preventive measures in view of the unprecedented drought in the country.

It said that since no action was taken, cattle feed and fodder prices were going up and becoming scarce, thereby affecting the production of milk and its prices.

According to analysts, Pawar would be better off fixing the problem rather than aggravating it with his remarks. "The entire exercise is baffling. Pawar has been doing this repeatedly. He did the same thing for sugar," said business analyst Sandeep Bamzai.

"There is a demand-supply imbalance in milk as well, but to make such an announcement is not understandable. Milk is a perishable item and cannot be hoarded. Nor can you play the futures market in it," he said.

Pawar's statement gave the BJP a fresh opportunity to target the government. The party said companies and manipulators were making the most of the situation.

"Trading through the commodity exchange by some private companies and manipulators is responsible for this. This can be checked through proper policies of the government," said BJP chief Nitin Gadkari.

BJP leader Rajnath Singh said the government should take measures to control inflation rather than scare people by issuing alarmist statements on rising prices.

During the sugar controversy, the country had expected Pawar to find a way to keep the surging prices under check. Not only did he fail miserably, he also made irresponsible statements. "I am no astrologer to predict sugar prices," Pawar had said.