“In Gujarat, all milk cooperatives supply to Amul, which in turn markets it very well. In Maharashtra, there are Gokul, Warna and Aarey. There is vast infrastructure but poor production,” he said after inaugurating a new facility of the state-owned Mahanand Dairy here.
Praising efforts of Amul, Pawar said he recently inaugurated its dairy of 5 lakh litre capacity in Haryana.
“Amul will bring milk from Gujarat to Haryana. Even though Punjab and Haryana are self-sufficient in milk production, Amul has managed to enter the markets there,” he said. Pawar said he had enquired about the plans of Amul and was informed that it would set up dairies in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.
“I told the Amul authorities to focus on areas where milk collection is poor and leave markets in Maharashtra to local brands. But still, Amul is all set to make an entry here because they see a very good market which we are not able to tap,” he said.
He said the milk cooperatives and the government here should explore the possibility of a single milk brand from Maharashtra, to promotion and market it better.