While farmers had demanded a base price of Rs 50 per litre for their milk, the government had announced a price of Rs 22. (File) While farmers had demanded a base price of Rs 50 per litre for their milk, the government had announced a price of Rs 22. (File)

From May 3, dairy farmers in Maharashra will distribute milk free of cost to protest against the low procurement prices given to them by dairies. The protest will continue for a week. Low milk price was one of the main reasons why farmers had gone on strike in Maharashtra in June last year.

While farmers had demanded a base price of Rs 50 per litre for their milk, the government had announced a price of Rs 22. Last June, following discussions with farmers, the government had raised the procurement price to Rs 27.

Dairies, both cooperative and private, had gone on to pay the procurement price till around August 2017, but slashed prices as the month came to an end.

Maintaining that GST on byproducts like ghee and butter, along with low international prices of skimmed milk powder, have made exports non-viable, the dairies have said that they have been forced to slash procurement prices.

To add to their problems, dairies have noted that this summer, milk production had increased, instead of decreasing, further actuating the situation.

In Kolhapur, the Gokul union is at present paying farmers Rs 25 per litre within the district. Outside Kolhapur, farmers are being paid Rs 22 per litre.

Some private dairies in and around Pune are paying as low as Rs 19 while those in Ahmednagar are paying anything between Rs 20-22 per litre. Of the 1 crore-litre milk collected in Maharashtra per day, around 60 per cent is cornered by private players while the 14 functional cooperative unions collect the rest.

The first idea of the protest was mooted at Lakhganga village in Aurangabad’s Vaijapur taluka. Dhananjay Dhorde, an organising member of the strike, said around 80 per cent of the villagers are associated with the dairy industry. Also, the summer season has failed to increase the prices of milk, which Dhorde said had happened for the first time in the history of Maharashtra.

“The gram sabha had passed a resolution that instead of wasting milk, they would provide it to the dairies free of cost… its our way of protesting by following Mahatma Gandhi,” Dhorde said.

The idea has got traction from other villages in the area. “Neighbouring villages will hold a special gram sabha on May 1 and pass the same resolution… If the government and the dairies fail to increase prices, we will think of further protests after a week,” he added.

Unions get notices

The dairy development commissioner has issued notices to 14 cooperative milk unions for failing to pay farmers the government-designated procurement price of Rs 27 per litre. Vinayakrao Patil, chairman of Maharashtra Union of Cooperative Dairies, said the notice has threatened to dismiss the board of directors of the dairies.

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