Odisha: Dairy farmers face problems in selling milk during lockdown
BHUBANESWAR: With sweet shops, eateries, tea stalls and other shops closed, demand for milk has gone down. Dairy farmers are facing harrowing time to sell milk and other dairy products during this lockdown period.
Out of around 60 lakh litres per day milk production, around 10 lakh liters are being procured in an organised way by dairy companies and milk cooperative societies. The rest of the milk, a major part, is marketed by farmers directly with shops and consumers in Odisha.
Odisha Milk Farmers Association (OMFA) said that government agencies, like Omfed and private dairy companies purchase less amount of milk. Recently, farmers from different parts of the state had poured milk on road protesting less procurement during lockdown.
Bijay Behera, a dairy farmer from Niali in Cuttack district, said he could not sell his milk because the dairy companies and milk cooperative societies do not procure like before. “I have ten cows and I need to feed them. But the less procurement and rise in the cost of animal feed and fodder hit us hard,” he added.
Gouranga Rout, a milk farmer from Jagatsinghpur, said he ekes out a living by selling milk. “After lockdown of the state, we are facing a lot of problems to sell the milk and paneer. The increase in animal feed price has also added woes to our volatile financial condition. We request the government to purchase our milk or help us to feed our animal,” he added.
OMFA chairman Rabi Behera said the state has around 10 lakh dairy farmers including the ones who don’t sell companies directly. “Most of the farmers who directly sell milk to different tea stalls, households, eateries and hotels, found it difficult now as shops are closed due to lockdown,” he added.
Besides milk, Behera said farmers get good money by selling paneer to hotels, sweet shops, eateries and households. But this business is stalled due to closure of shops and less demand from households. Due to lockdown, the roadside vendors who also sell paneer, khua and rabidi have stopped it. “I request the government to provide compensation to these vendors of milk products,” he added.
He also urged the state government to procure excess milk from farmers everyday like Maharashtra government. “If the government fails to procure milk, it should announce package for dairy farmers,” he added.
Behera said traders are hoarding animal feed and sell it in inflated price. “Farmers have to pay more than Rs 200 per a quintal of animal feed on the original price. I request the government to stop hoarding and blackmarketing of the feed,” he added.
Ratnakar Rout, director of animal husbandry and veterinary services, said closure of sweet shops, tea stalls, confectioneries, hotels and other milk consuming shops have affected the milk industry. “This is a global phenomenon due to the pandemic situation. Market is affected due to lockdown. Omfed and private dairy firms will again procure like before,” he added.
Somesh Upadhyay, CGM Omfed, said milk procurement has been decreased due to the lack of demand. “We are procuring milk everyday. I think the situation will be normalised after the lockdown is lifted,” he added.
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