India's biggest dairy group&nbsp;Amul&nbsp;has written to the government urging it to delay a planned ban on tiny plastic straws, saying the move will have a "negative impact" on farmers and milk consumption in the world's biggest producer of the commodity.

Amul&nbsp;made its appeal in a letter, dated May 28, that was sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office ahead of a July 1 ban on straws packaged with small packs of juices and dairy products, a market estimated by an industry body to be worth 790 million dollars.&nbsp;Amul&nbsp;sells billions of small dairy cartons with plastic straws attached every year.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coca-cola-and-pepsico-ranked-as-worlds-leading-plastic-polluters-449536">Coca-Cola and PepsiCo ranked as world's leading plastic polluters</a>

The decision has spooked&nbsp;Amul&nbsp;and global drinks majors including PepsiCo Inc and Coca-Cola, especially after the government declined to change its stance and asked companies to switch to alternative straws.

In its letter, signed by Managing Director R S&nbsp;Sodhi, the 8 billion dollars Amul&nbsp;group said the straws help promote milk consumption, and called for the ban - part of Modi's drive to stamp out polluting, single-use plastic - to be postponed for a year.

A delay would "provide huge relief and benefit" to 100 million dairy farmers who "safeguard our food security in terms of milk and milk products", Sodhi wrote.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Top 10 plastic polluters in the world

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A source familiar with the government's thinking has previously told that the straws were a "low-utility product" which should be replaced with paper straws or packs with re-designed spouts instead.

Sodhi declined to comment on his letter, but said&nbsp;Amul&nbsp;may have to sell packs without straws once the ban kicks in from July 1.

Priced between 5 rupees and 30 rupees (7- 40 US cents), small beverage packs containing juice and milk products are hugely popular in India and part of a much bigger market for such beverages.

Based in Modi's home state of Gujarat in western India,&nbsp;Amul&nbsp;is also popular for its plastic pouches containing milk, its cheese and chocolates.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/single-use-plastic-bags-banned-in-uae-capital-abu-dhabi-from-june-468928">Single-use plastic bags banned in UAE capital Abu Dhabi from June</a> &nbsp;

Pepsi's Tropicana juice, as well as Coca-Cola's Maaza and Parle Agro's Frooti mango drinks, are also among top-selling beverages. Industry estimates show six&nbsp;billion of such packs are sold each year in India.

Praveen Aggarwal of Action Alliance for Recycling Beverage Cartons, which represents drinks majors, said companies were considering importing paper straws from China, Indonesia and other nations in light of the upcoming ban.

"There will be disruption", he said.

A person with direct knowledge of the matter said Parle has also written a letter to the Indian government, saying there was not enough local production of alternative straws, and imported paper and biodegradable variants were around 250 per cent more expensive.

Parle Agro's Chief Executive Schauna Chauhan said the company had started importing paper straws for now but it was unsustainable. "The economics just does not match up for a 10 rupee product", she said.

Pepsi and Coca-Cola declined to comment.

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India's biggest dairy group Amul has written to the government urging it to delay a planned ban on tiny plastic straws, saying the move will have a "negative impact" on farmers and milk consumption in the world's biggest producer of the commodity.

India's biggest dairy group Amul has written to the government urging it to delay a planned ban on tiny plastic straws, saying the move will have a "negative impact" on farmers and milk consumption in the world's biggest producer of the commodity. Amul made its appeal in a letter, dated May 28, that was sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office ahead of a July 1 ban on straws packaged with small packs of juices and dairy products, a market estimated by an industry body to be worth 790 million dollars. Amul sells billions of small dairy cartons with plastic straws attached every year. Also read | Coca-Cola and PepsiCo ranked as world's leading plastic polluters The decision has spooked Amul and global drinks majors including PepsiCo Inc and Coca-Cola, especially after the government declined to change its stance and asked companies to switch to alternative straws. In its letter, signed by Managing Director R S Sodhi, the 8 billion dollars Amul group said the straws help promote milk consumption, and called for the ban - part of Modi's drive to stamp out polluting, single-use plastic - to be postponed for a year. A delay would "provide huge relief and benefit" to 100 million dairy farmers who "safeguard our food security in terms of milk and milk products", Sodhi wrote. Watch | Gravitas: Top 10 plastic polluters in the world A source familiar with the government's thinking has previously told that the straws were a "low-utility product" which should be replaced with paper straws or packs with re-designed spouts instead. Sodhi declined to comment on his letter, but said Amul may have to sell packs without straws once the ban kicks in from July 1. Priced between 5 rupees and 30 rupees (7- 40 US cents), small beverage packs containing juice and milk products are hugely popular in India and part of a much bigger market for such beverages. Based in Modi's home state of Gujarat in western India, Amul is also popular for its plastic pouches containing milk, its cheese and chocolates. Also read | Single-use plastic bags banned in UAE capital Abu Dhabi from June Pepsi's Tropicana juice, as well as Coca-Cola's Maaza and Parle Agro's Frooti mango drinks, are also among top-selling beverages. Industry estimates show six billion of such packs are sold each year in India. Praveen Aggarwal of Action Alliance for Recycling Beverage Cartons, which represents drinks majors, said companies were considering importing paper straws from China, Indonesia and other nations in light of the upcoming ban. "There will be disruption", he said. A person with direct knowledge of the matter said Parle has also written a letter to the Indian government, saying there was not enough local production of alternative straws, and imported paper and biodegradable variants were around 250 per cent more expensive. Parle Agro's Chief Executive Schauna Chauhan said the company had started importing paper straws for now but it was unsustainable. "The economics just does not match up for a 10 rupee product", she said. Pepsi and Coca-Cola declined to comment. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

India's Amul urges PM Modi to delay plastic straw ban, cites impact on dairy farmers

The United Kingdm has decided to impose a ban on plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers in every commercial establishment from the month of October.

As per the new rule, all sales and distribution for&nbsp;single-use plastic items will be banned, starting from October 01. This also includes ban on supplying these items to the customers in restaurants, cafes and bars.

Boris Johnson-led government has, however, added exemptions for people with special needs or the people who medically require these items.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-pm-johnson-to-speak-on-covid-19-as-anger-mounts-towards-curbs-331392">Also read:&nbsp;UK PM Johnson to speak on COVID-19 as anger mounts towards curbs</a>

The rule has been implemented to tackle the problem of climate change and global warming — a topic due to which various small-scale protests took place in the country.

"The ban on straws, stirrers and cotton buds is just the next step in our battle against plastic pollution and our pledge to protect our ocean and the environment for future generations.

"We are already a world-leader in this global effort. Our five-pence charge on single-use plastic bags has successfully cut sales by 95% in the main supermarkets, we have banned microbeads, and we are building plans for a deposit return scheme to drive up the recycling of single-use drinks containers."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/boris-johnson-starts-shutting-down-britain-again-as-coronavirus-spreads-329383">Also read:&nbsp;Boris Johnson starts shutting down Britain again as coronavirus spreads</a>

The ban was to come into place from April. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government was unable to&nbsp; impose the ban and negatively affect the already suffering supply chain.

However, from October, it has been made illegal to hand out single-use plastic items to customers.

Pandemic waste

While the environmentalists are happy with the new rule, they worry that new threat to the environment is the new threat to the human kind — COVID-19.

Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the waste generated due to the discarded face masks and the single-use PPE kits.

The environmentalists claim that while they understand the dangers of the situation, they hope people will follow proper steps to discard the pandemic waste, rather than littering on streets or water bodies.

The United Kingdm has decided to impose a ban on plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers in every commercial establishment from the month of October. As per the new rule, all sales and distribution for single-use plastic items will be banned, starting from October 01.

The United Kingdm has decided to impose a ban on plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers in every commercial establishment from the month of October. As per the new rule, all sales and distribution for single-use plastic items will be banned, starting from October 01. This also includes ban on supplying these items to the customers in restaurants, cafes and bars. Boris Johnson-led government has, however, added exemptions for people with special needs or the people who medically require these items. Also read: UK PM Johnson to speak on COVID-19 as anger mounts towards curbs The rule has been implemented to tackle the problem of climate change and global warming — a topic due to which various small-scale protests took place in the country. "The ban on straws, stirrers and cotton buds is just the next step in our battle against plastic pollution and our pledge to protect our ocean and the environment for future generations. "We are already a world-leader in this global effort. Our five-pence charge on single-use plastic bags has successfully cut sales by 95% in the main supermarkets, we have banned microbeads, and we are building plans for a deposit return scheme to drive up the recycling of single-use drinks containers." Also read: Boris Johnson starts shutting down Britain again as coronavirus spreads The ban was to come into place from April. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government was unable to impose the ban and negatively affect the already suffering supply chain. However, from October, it has been made illegal to hand out single-use plastic items to customers. Pandemic waste While the environmentalists are happy with the new rule, they worry that new threat to the environment is the new threat to the human kind — COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the waste generated due to the discarded face masks and the single-use PPE kits. The environmentalists claim that while they understand the dangers of the situation, they hope people will follow proper steps to discard the pandemic waste, rather than littering on streets or water bodies.

UK: Plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers banned after months of delay

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India's Amul urges PM Modi to delay plastic straw ban, cites impact on dairy farmers

UK: Plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers banned after months of delay