MP Congress questions dairy cooperative decline ahead of Shah’s Bhopal visit

• Congress says Madhya Pradesh’s dairy cooperative societies fell from 7,811 in 2019–20 to 5,502 in 2024–25, with membership also declining

• Jitu Patwari seeks details of progress under the state’s 2025 agreement with the National Dairy Development Board

• Amit Shah will attend a gathering of cattle rearers, distribute dairy farmer bonuses and inaugurate a fermented dairy products plant on Saturday

The Madhya Pradesh Congress on Friday questioned the state’s record on dairy cooperatives, asking why the network had contracted and what steps had been taken to improve milk producers’ incomes ahead of Union home and cooperation minister Amit Shah’s visit to Bhopal.

State Congress president Jitu Patwari said the government should explain the decline in cooperative societies and membership, as well as disclose progress towards strengthening the Sanchi dairy system.

Citing figures in a statement, Patwari said the number of dairy cooperative societies had fallen from 7,811 in 2019–20 to 5,502 in 2024–25. Membership had dropped from 2.68 lakh to about 2.09 lakh over the same period, he claimed.

He asked who was responsible for the decline and sought an assessment of the network’s current condition.

Patwari also questioned progress towards the target of raising daily milk procurement from 10.50 lakh kg to 20 lakh kg. He sought details of the results achieved since the state signed an agreement with the National Dairy Development Board in 2025.

The Congress leader argued that dairy development should be judged by improvements in farmers’ earnings rather than the construction of processing facilities alone.

He called for fair procurement prices, timely payments and stronger cooperatives, while seeking transparency about the gap between retail milk prices and the amount paid to producers. He also questioned regional differences in milk prices.

Rising expenditure on fodder, cattle feed, medicines, veterinary services and labour was putting pressure on dairy farmers, Patwari said, urging the government to present a concrete income-growth plan.

Shah is scheduled to reach Bhopal on Friday night for a visit lasting nearly 23 hours.

On Saturday, he will attend a state-level Gopalak Sammelan at the BHEL Dussehra Ground. More than 35,000 cattle rearers and dairy cooperative members are expected to participate, according to the state government.

His programme includes distributing bonuses to farmers associated with the Bhopal and Indore milk unions, providing assistance to gaushalas, honouring Gopalak Didis and handing out sanction letters under the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Kamdhenu Yojana.

Shah will also inaugurate a fermented dairy products plant at the Bhopal Cooperative Milk Union premises.

Other scheduled engagements include laying the foundation stones for the IISER Atri campus near Bhauri and the Bhopal Western Bypass, and attending an exhibition on the new criminal laws.

With IANS inputs