Amul, India’s largest dairy company, has written to the government, pleading with it to postpone a proposed ban on tiny plastic straws, claiming that the decision will have a “negative impact” on farmers and milk consumption in the world’s largest milk producer.
For the uninitiated, Amul made its case in a May 28 letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office, which was submitted ahead of a July 1 ban on straws packed with small packs of drinks and dairy products, a market estimated to be worth $790 million by an industry association.
The $8 billion Amul firm said the straws assist boost milk consumption in a letter signed by Managing Director R.S. Sodhi, and begged for the ban to be postponed for a year as part of Modi’s campaign to eliminate polluting, single-use plastic.
Sodhi stated that a postponement would “give enormous relief and benefit” to the 100 million dairy farmers who “protect our food security in terms of milk and milk products.”
Parle Agro’s Chief Executive Schauna Chauhan stated that the company has begun importing paper straws for the time being, but that this was not sustainable. “For a 10 rupee product, the economics just don’t add up,” she explained.
Coca-Cola and Pepsi declined to respond.
Amul, which is based in PM Modi’s home state of Gujarat in western India, is known for its plastic milk pouches, cheese, and chocolates.
The proposed ban on small plastic straws will be postponed. Plastic straw bans, according to Amul, would have a severe impact on farmers and their milk consumption. Amul, for the record, annually sells billions of little dairy cartons with plastic straws.
