In Erode in Tamil Nadu, dairy farmers have taken to the streets to protest against the low procurement prices of milk. The protests began early in the morning on 17 March and saw hundreds of farmers taking part.
As part of the protest, the dairy farmers threw milk on the road. The dairy farmers are demanding an increase in the procurement price of milk by Rs 7 per litre, which they say has not been revised for a long time. The protest has disrupted traffic in the area, with the farmers blocking the roads and refusing to move until their demands are met.
#WATCH | Dairy farmers in Erode throw milk on the road during their protest against the Tamil Nadu government demanding an increase in milk procurement prices pic.twitter.com/xut0JyG8En
— ANI (@ANI) March 17, 2023
Members of the Tamil Nadu Milk Producers’ Welfare Association (TNMPWA) said that they will gradually withdraw their supplies as part of the protest. The association is demanding that the price should be hiked by Rs 7 from Rs 35 for cow milk and Rs 44 for buffalo milk.
Earlier the farmers had threatened to go on strike from Friday demanding an increase in procurement prices. Minister for Dairy Development S.M. Nasar on Thursday said that “the Aavin milk supply would not be affected in any manner due to the strike”. He further said that Aavin was in the process of procuring enough milk to meet the demand.
The Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Welfare Association’s M.G. Rajendran said “the present three-tier cooperative system was in danger of collapsing if the procurement prices were not increased. Private milk dairies were paying ₹10 more per litre than what Aavin was paying”
Aavin is a state government co-operative under the ownership of Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited, Ministry of Co-operation, Government of Tamil Nadu. Aavin procures milk, processes it and sells milk and milk products to consumers.
The company produces a wide range of dairy products, including milk, butter, yogurt, ice cream, and ghee among others.
Notably, India is the world’s largest producer of Milk. Milk is the single largest agricultural commodity by value contributing 5 per cent of the national economy. Dairying has become an important secondary source of income for millions of rural families and has assumed the most important role in providing employment and income generation opportunities mainly for women and marginal farmers.
Dairying plays an important role in the socio-economic development of rural households in the country. The major share of the milk in the country is produced by small, marginal farmers and landless labourers. A small land base encourages the farmers to practice dairying as an occupation subsidiary to agriculture.
