Seeking hike in milk price, AIKS to protest tomorrow

It says private unions slash purchase cost citing low demand

Demanding an increase in the per litre price of milk for dairy farmers, the Left-affiliated All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has alleged that milk farmers were given a raw deal by private and co-operative milk unions who cut costs by claiming a low demand for milk during the pandemic-induced lockdown. The AIKS has said that private and co-operative milk unions had slashed the purchase price of milk by ₹10 to ₹15 per litre, while keeping the selling rate unchanged for consumers. To protest this, the outfit has planned a Maharashtra-wide agitation on June 17. It has demanded that farmers be given the pre-lockdown rates of ₹35 per litre. “We demand that the State government audit all private and co-operative milk unions, which have reduced the purchase price of milk, claiming that the demand for milk has decreased during the lockdown period. It must take stern action against these cooperatives and recover the amount looted by them and return it back to the farmers,” said Dr. Ajit Nawale of the AIKS.