The Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (Midagri) presented to the Council of Ministers a proposal to modify the regulation of milk and dairy products to establish only the use of fresh milk in the production of evaporated milk in the industry.
“The preparation of evaporated milk must use fresh milk as the only ingredient, which comes from the mammary gland of the cows, there is nothing else, and that must be addressed by the State and the authorities. We have already presented (before the Council of Ministers) the proposal to modify the regulation (of milk) and we are going to fight until we achieve it,” said the head of Midagri, Oscar Zea.
This newspaper was able to learn that the regulatory changes aim to be governed by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since in 2017 the regulation was changed to abide by the Codex Alimentarius to allow powdered milk to be mixed.
As explained by Nidia Vargas, president of Agalep, this measure creates unfair competition for local production, since large companies prefer to import powdered milk from abroad because it is cheaper and stop buying from local farmers.
“To such an extent that the industry has exaggerated the importation of powdered milk and whey, harming us because they don’t buy cow’s milk from us, that’s why we are going bankrupt. And more than that they do not increase the price, despite the higher cost of production that we charge,” Vargas pointed out, adding that “consumers are misled.”
It should be noted that this Midagri proposal will be evaluated this Wednesday, March 16, at the meeting of the Council of Ministers. And the approval is mainly in the hands of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the Ministry of Production (Produce) and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur).
Prices paid by the industry to farmers
The farmers’ unions also ask for a fairer payment for the milk they sell to the dairy industry, since they pay them S/ 1.06 per liter and ask that it be S/ 1.80, given the rise in production costs.
In this regard, the head of Midagri stated that the strike called today by the dairy farmers’ unions has “sufficient reasons because so many years have passed and the cost of milk is S/ 1.00 sol and the cost of a liter of water S/ 2.50, and that is inconceivable”.
In addition, he said that in recent months there has been an excessive increase in the inputs used by livestock activity, such as soybeans, yellow corn and other elements. “How much does it cost to produce a liter of milk? And it can’t be a sun. For this reason, we stand in solidarity with our fellow dairy farmers in the country”, he concluded.
Source: Larepublica
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