Chitwan farmers demand increase in milk price by Rs 14 per litre

BHARATPUR: Farmers in Chitwan district have demanded an increase in the price of milk. Farmers called for increasing the unit price in proportion to the rise in the investment at a press meet organised in Bharatpur Metropolitan City, on Sunday. They have demanded an increase of Rs 14 per litre. Central Chairperson of National Commercial Livestock and Milk Producers Farmers Society Ananda Neure said milk price should be increased so that farmers get additional Rs 14 per litre. Noting that farmers could not meet the investment due to the hefty rise in the price of feed and straw, he said farmers will be compelled to abandon the profession if the unit price of milk is not increased. He also demanded the government arrange for farmers’ identity cards and provide subsidies as per the need. "The state should provide 80% subsidy for the development of physical infrastructure of the agriculture and dairy-related cooperatives and commercial firms." Chairperson Neure further noted that the agriculture loan should be further effective. Advisor to the farmers’ society, Bhagirath Timilsina, said the milk price was not as expected and livestock sector was on the brink of collapse for farmers being denied profit subsidies. According to the society data, as many as 2.2 million households have become self-reliant on milk production in Nepal. It has to be noted that the dairy businesspersons who recently hiked the price of milk citing the rise in production cost of milk have taken back their decision to increase the price. A meeting held recently at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD) among the stakeholders reached the decision for the same. Rajendra Prasad Yadav, executive director of the National Dairy Development Board, shared that discussion among the secretary at the MoALD, Board and the concerned bodies concluded to roll back the decision to the recently hiked price of milk at present. The meeting decided to conduct a scientific study considering the production cost of milk, inflation in market price and purchasing power of the consumers for the adjustment of price, according to Yadav. Though the Board said that it apprised the MoALD, Dairy Development Corporation, Nepal Dairy Association among others of the decision on Sunday, Dairy Industry Association Chairperson Raj Kumar Dahal shared that there was no such agreement or decision taken at the meeting held on January 1. "We agree to disagree on the conclusion of the meeting. We will take back the increase in milk price if the Board appraises us about the criteria to hike price," Dahal asserted. The Essential Commodities Control (Authorisation) Act-2017 BS has listed milk as an essential food. Some milk businesspersons hiked milk price by Rs 14 per litre since last Saturday citing the rise in production costs and the high cost while buying from the farmers. The Nepal Dairy Association and some umbrella organisations of farmers and consumer rights protested the act of some limited dairy entrepreneurs. The Board is entrusted with the responsibility to formulate policies to fix the price of milk and to recommend the revised price to the government in case of need. READ ALSO:

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