Govt. to hold talks with them in Thiruvananthapuram on May 10
New Delhi, May 05, 2022: Dairy farmers have demanded a hike in milk price in the midst of rising production cost, and the government has convened a meeting of farmers and farmers’ representatives in Thiruvananthapuram on May 10. Farmers have also scheduled a protest march to the State Secretariat on May 12 to highlight their woes.
The Ernakulam Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (ERCMPU) had earlier demanded that milk price be raised by at least ₹5 a litre to help farmers tide over the crisis. The rise in cattle feed price too is a matter of concern, according to the union.
Mr. Theruvath said there had been a dip in procurement from the previous levels when it outscored sales. However, recent weeks have seen ERCMPU sales soar to 4.62 lakh litres a day, including curd, while the procurement level was 3.66 lakh litres. Milk is being imported from other States, with the milk union incurring ₹8 per litre loss in terms of transport cost, he added. The union is also incurring a loss of around ₹4 lakh a day on that count.
The regional dairy cooperative sells around 8,000 litres of the Rich Milk variety, 3.64 lakh litres of the Pride category, and 57,000 litres of toned milk a day, and the varieties are priced ₹52, ₹46, and ₹44 a litre respectively according to the reports published in thehindu.com.
