AKD in powwow with Amul, but party-affiliated trade unions up against its plan in Sri Lanka’s dairy sector

• Dairy farmer associations and trade associations, stage demonstration in Anuradhapura
• Protesters urge government not to alienate national assets

By Dayaratne Embogama   

Despite JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent overtures to India and a visit to Amul in Gujarat, the JVP-affiliated All Ceylon Agrarian Federation demonstrated against the proposed partnership between Amul and Milco.    The Federation, a collective of dairy farmer associations and trade associations, staged the demonstration in Anuradhapura last Saturday and vowed not to sell off any property of Milco and National Livestock Development Board (NLDB) to India’s Amul company no matter what.   

Its National Organizer former JVP MP Namal Karunaratne said the property of Milco company including 97 milk collecting centres and 28,802 acres of land belonging to the NLDB would not be allowed to be alienated to India’s Amul at any cost.   

 They staged protests, displaying banners and placards urging the government not to alienate national assets.   
 Addressing the gathering National Organiser of the All Ceylon Agrarian Congress Namal Karunaratne said a delegation of the National People’s Power (NPP), the alliance led by the JVP, under the leadership of Anura Dissanayake met Indian authorities but they did not agree to this move and categorically stated that they were against that deal.   

 He said that dairy farmers all over the country are against the proposed alienation of the milk industry in the country.