Tamil Nadu milk cooperatives go supply-less as strike enters fifth day

The strike called by the Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Welfare Association here demanding increased procurement price, which is into its fifth day, started to intensify as milk cooperatives in the district went supply-less today.     The cooperatives registered no supplies of milk as against an average of 1.5 lakh litre per day.     AAVIN officials said their stock of milk and milk powder has drastically reduced and would last only for one or two more days.     Milk producers are demanding a hike of Rs8 per litre for buffalo milk and Rs5 per litre for cow's milk.     Even as supply of the cooperatives started to get affected, however, private vendors continued sales as usual.     Meanwhile, more than 500 milk producers, including 25 women, were arrested in various areas of the district today for staging demonstrations demanding enhanced procurementprice for milk.      The demonstrators were arrested in Modakurichi, Ganapathypalayam, Malayampalayam and Chitode areas as they attempted to conduct picketing.