Will strike right balance regarding hike in milk prices, says Goa Cooperation minister Subhash Shirodkar

MARGAO: Cooperation minister

Subhash Shirodkar

said on Sunday that the government would "strike the right balance" while deciding on

Goa Dairy

's proposal to hike

milk prices

so as to ensure that while the interests of dairy farmers are protected, the common man isn't burdened much.

"Milk needs to be within the means of the common man," Shirodkar said. "But that doesn't mean that just because it has to be affordable for the common man, milk should continue to be sold (at existing rates). In that case, farmers also will get affected as they will continue to get less procurement rates. We have to protect the interests of dairy farmers, and also see to it that the milk stays within the reach of the common man. We will strike the right balance."

The administrators' committee of the Goa state cooperative milk producers' union (Goa Dairy) has already sent a proposal to the state government for raising the prices of milk by Rs 4-5 per litre.

The committee has suggested a hike of Rs 4 per liter for three variants - Shakti (standardised milk), Diva (cow milk) and Cold Gold (toned milk - and Rs 5 for full cream milk. Goa Dairy has been mulling over the hike after Amul prices were hiked by Rs 2 per liter from March 1.

Shirodkar further said he would strive to make the cooperative sector healthy and economically vibrant with the benefits percolating down to households.

"Benefits accrued from the various forms of cooperatives - farmers' cooperatives, services cooperatives, etc - should reach the households. We should aim to reach out to at least 3 lakh families from 5 lakh. That would be my focus area," Shirodkar told TOI.

Acknowledging that the recent closing down of a couple of cooperative banks in Goa was a setback for the cooperative sector, Shirodkar stressed he would strive to turn the credit cooperative banks and societies into "vibrant and very healthy units".

"Many of the cooperative societies are doing well, no doubt about it," Shirodkar said. "We should not forget that many cooperative societies have substituted national banks. In many respects, like in small and petty loans, cooperative banks that care of these matters. My task would be only to get these things streamlined so that cooperative units become very healthy. This would bring about economic vibrancy in the lower sections of the society." He also said that there was a lot of scope to go in for farmers' cooperatives.

As regards his other portfolio of water resources, Shirodkar said his focus would be to take steps towards enhancing the capacity of water storage infrastructural facilities in the state so that the state doesn't face water scarcity for the next 10-15 years for irrigation as well as drinking purposes. "The water resources department has already identified several sites which can be developed into minor or major irrigation projects," he said.