As we cruised?through the Bengaluru-Mysore expressway to reach the heartland of sugarcane farmers in the state, Mandya, we passed the Nandini milk factory. A cow seemingly stood in front of the factory, surrounded by saffron flags, as if it was placed there to counter local opposition to any brand that could placate its position in the state.

Not just a local brand but more of a household name, an emotion, Nandini is the Karnataka Milk Federation’s (KMF) dairy brand. Under the Nandini name, fresh milk and milk products, including curd and sweets are sold to people of the state. Asking us to freshen up after a long journey, a farmer's family served us the Nandini strawberry-flavoured milk.?

It was a day after Amul announced that they would be delivering milk-based products to households in Bengaluru. The impact was felt 80 kms away in Gejjalegere village on the way to Mandya. A few yards off of Sunanda Jayaram, a prominent farmer activist’s house, was where home minister Amit Shah had made an announcement in December 2022 during the inauguration of a mega-dairy in the district, that Amul Dairy and KMF would be “working together.”

Karnataka Milk Federation?

Sixteen?district unions come under the umbrella of the Karnataka Milk Federation to produce milk-based products in the state including peda, Mysorepak and ghee. “Nandini factory and KMF are the pride of Karnataka. If anyone else wants to come and join us, it will not be good for the local farmer,” says K Boraiah, the general secretary of a prominent farmer group Raita Sangha in Karnataka.

More than 15?lakh producers belong to the KMF brand. The producers, and their family members depend on the federation for their survival. Farmers fear that while Nandini is marketed as a local state brand, the popularity and national-level marketing of Amul could affect the sales of the former.?

“Our KMF production will be reduced. Amul is known as a famous all-India brand. But Nandini’s popularity is restricted to Karnataka even though we sell our products to other states. Quality is the same but the name of the brand is more in regards to Amul so the local farmer might lose importance,” says Jayaram, a former employee of the KMF. His house is just across the street to the Nandini milk factory.

KMF sources were quoted as saying that as the state already has a successful dairy cooperative that not only meets the needs of the state market but also exports surplus dairy to other states through its flagship brand 'Nandini',?the presence of another government-owned dairy cooperative is?a predatory practice.?

Currently, products made by KMF are sent to states including Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Farmers in this region echoed fears of a complete takeover in the name of merger. “During summers, milk production is about 15% less, which is not unusual. But if Amul tries to enter during this period and produce surplus milk, it will further cause loss to our farmers. If people from outside come, then where will our people go?” Boraiah further said.?

A #SaveNandini campaign ensued in Bengaluru. The sentiments among pro-Kannada and farmer groups against Amul have been tense as it is being seen as another form of imposition from north India.?

“Women farmers like me are totally dependent on dairy farming for a living. Currently, Nandini milk fetches us Rs 29 per litre. We have known this brand and are emotionally connected to it. What is the need for promotion to outsiders?” says Saroja, a dairy farmer in Mandya.?

Just a fortnight before, a circular from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) sparked outrage after it asked government dairies producing curds to call it ‘dahi’ instead of other regional terms. The circular was later withdrawn.

Milking the politics

A majority of milk producers belonging to KMF are from the south Karnataka belt – specifically the old Mysuru regions such as Mandya, Mysuru, Ramanagara and the central Karnataka district of Davangere – forming around 120-130 Assembly seats electorally.?

While the south Karnataka regions are mostly dominated by the Vokkaliga communities, the central parts of the state are also populated by the Lingayat?population – who have been an important vote bank for the BJP.?

Hence, the entire controversy has successfully taken the shape of a political slugfest right ahead of the assembly polls in Karnataka.

The ruling BJP in the State and the opposition Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) have been engaged in a war of words. Leaders of the Congress and JD(S) criticised the move saying it would hurt the interests of the Karnataka Milk Federation, which owns the Nandini brand.?

Congress leader Siddaramaiah said: "It was Gujarat's Baroda Bank that subsumed our Vijaya Bank. Ports and Airports were handed over to Gujarat's Adani. Now, Amul from Gujarat is planning to eat our KMF (Nandini). Mr Narendra Modi, are we the enemies for Gujaratis?"

In fact, political leaders including Congress’s Rahul Gandhi have been making visits to local Nandini parlours, purchasing ice-creams and other products.

The BJP meanwhile accused the Congress of unleashing a "misinformation campaign" over dairy cooperative Amul's presence in Karnataka and asserted that it has done far more than the opposition party to strengthen the Karnataka Milk Federation and its products are sold under the brand name Nandini.

Hitting back at the Congress, the BJP’s IT Cell in-charge Amit Malviya said Amul and the KMF are neither merging, nor Amul is entering Karnataka.

"KMF is nation’s second largest milk cooperative. KMF has depots in Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. 15% of KMF’s total sales is outside Karnataka. Nandini is exported to Singapore, UAE and many other countries. Amul and KMF are NOT merging,” Malviya tweeted.

While political parties try to score brownie points by milking up the issue, the farmers believe that Amul’s entry could dent their livelihood. It extends beyond mere sentimentality and politics as more than 15?lakh milk suppliers from across the state depend on KMF for their daily earnings. “The name of Amul could push our brand inward. Our products won’t be sold,” farmers say.