Goa Dairy had taken a lot of care to ensure that the Gujarat-based dairy union’s entry would not have a major impact on Goa Dairy’s milk collection, processing and supply in the State.
“The reason for this is that Goan farmers are wise enough to judge what is better for them and who has contributed for their development for the past many decades. On the other hand, after the launch of SUMUL, Goa Dairy has increased its production. Our strong point is that Goans have faith in our products. The other point is that farmers feel that Goa Dairy is their dairy,” said Desai.
However, according to sources, the milk supplied to Goa Dairy by farmers has been fallen by around 1,500 to 2,000 litres per day as some of them switched to SUMUL.
“For the last six months, I have been the chairman of Goa Dairy and during this period, I contributed to activities for the welfare of farmer communities.”
The milk sale of Goa Dairy, which was around 80,000 litres daily in Goa last year, has now been increased to 94,000 to 95,000 litres daily till date this year,” said Desai.
When asked to what extent SUMUL had affected Goa Dairy regarding milk procurement from farmers, he did not reveal the exact figure, but said even if few farmers switched to SUMUL for better prospects, most of the farmers would remain with Goa Dairy due to its round-the-clock-services to farmers through its doctors, who make visits at any time to treat the farmers’ cows.
“Not only milk, but even our ice-cream plant is running successfully. There is tremendous demand for ice cream produced by Goa Dairy so much so that it becomes difficult to supply it to them on time. The credit goes to our Board of Directors, employees, and doctors of Goa Dairy, who provide timely services to farmers and work hard to maintain the achievements of Goa Dairy in the Goan market,” said Desai.
When asked about the no-confidence motion moved against him by 9 out of 12 directors on the Board, which was rejected on technical grounds yesterday in special meeting, Desai said he had submitted a copy of a Supreme Court judgement to presiding officer Anil Desai, which stated that, “Having regard for the set-up in a local self government prevailing in many states, we direct that in case of cooperative societies registered under Central or State law, a motion of no confidence against an office bearer shall be moved only after two years of him assuming office. In case the motion is defeated, a fresh motion shall not be introduced within another one year.”
It may be noted that the Goa Dairy Board of Directors is elected for a five-year term and every year, an election to the chairman’s post is held. Desai was elected as chairman in October 2015. It is learnt that the Board of Directors was elected in 2011 and its tenure will end this December.
Desai admitted that he retained his post on technical grounds. He stated that he had worked in a transparent manner, and the no-confidence motion against him could have been due to a misunderstanding. He added that in a democracy, everybody had the right to act in a way they felt was right.
Meanwhile, the directors who had moved the no confidence motion against him are likely to challenge the decision of presiding officer.
