Dairy farmers boil over diluted milk

Dairy farmers are tired of being milked by the government. Fed up of suffering heavy losses because of government policies, members of the Gwala Gaddi Samiti (GSS) protested in the national capital on Sunday and Monday against anti-farmer schemes and demanded immediate steps to ensure adulterated milk is not sold in the market. 

The GSS claimed dairy companies are exploiting cattle-keepers and cheating them to the tune of Rs6 lakh crore. It said the purchase price of milk was Rs32 per litre last summer and was reduced to Rs18 per litre in November 2011. However, milk is sold at a much higher rate in the market. “Why don’t dairy companies reduce the rate accordingly?” said GSS national president Mohan Singh Ahluwalia.

Explaining how dairy companies are minting money, the GSS said their purchase price from farmers is Rs18 per litre, supplying milk to dairies costs Rs0.6 per litre while processing and transportation expenses are 42 and 30 paise respectively. This comes to Rs20, but the price of milk in the market is at least Rs40 per litre.

Stating that dairy companies sell more milk than what is being purchased, the GSS alleged that adulteration of the commodity is rampant. “Twenty lakh litres of milk is purchased from farmers while 60 lakh litres is sold in the market. Where does the excess milk come from? This proves that the companies sell adulterated milk,” alleged Ahluwalia. “Even when there is shortage of milk, it does not affect the company supply, raising doubts about dairy companies selling adulterated milk.”

During the two-day agitation, the GSS demanded that Rs6 lakh crore be returned to cattle-keepers, cost of milk be fixed, milk markets be established across the country and transparent vigilance methods be employed at dairies.