AP misusing Vijaya Dairy brand: Official
Hyderabad: Telangana Dairy Development Corporation Chairman Gutta Amit Reddy has alleged that the Andhra Pradesh government is misusing the Vijaya Dairy brand following the bifurcation of the State.
He claimed that a company named Meghana is selling adulterated milk and ghee in Telangana under the Krishna Union-Vijaya Dairy brand.
Amit Reddy warned that adulterated milk and ghee could seriously affect public health.
He added that when the issue was brought to the notice of the Nellore and Kurnool dairy unions, they stopped using the Vijaya brand.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Amit Reddy said that adulterated milk and ghee entered the market after the AP government granted franchise rights to private individuals. “AP Dairy is a government sector company, but it has been placed in the hands of private individuals. The AP government should pay attention to this,” he emphasised.
He alleged that the AP government had given a franchise to Meghana Foods, which is reportedly manufacturing ghee in Gujarat and selling it in Telangana. According to him, a report by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) stated that the ghee contained vegetable oil. “Nearly 100 tonnes of such ghee is being sold every month in Hyderabad,” he said.
“This situation is causing losses to Telangana dairy farmers,” he said. He also pointed out that when consumers scan the details on some milk packets, the information of a private company appears. “However, when that company is contacted, they claim they did not sell the product,” he said.
He further stated that according to Dairy Federation rules, private individuals are not allowed to use the Vijaya Dairy name. “We have written several letters to AP Dairy regarding this issue, but there has been no response so far,” he said.
Amit Reddy asserted that Telangana would not tolerate any loss to its dairy farmers and assured that the government would stand firmly with milk farmers.
He also noted that the issue of adulterated milk and ghee has been causing frequent uproar in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and urged the AP government to take the matter seriously.
