Coimbatore:
The Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Association has threatened to launch an agitation on July 23 if its demands are not conceded at the proposed talks with the Dairy Development Minister on July 22.
State president of the association K. Mohammed Ali, along with Coimbatore district secretary V.P. Elangovan, in a statement, said that about 10 lakh poor, small and medium farmers were rearing cows.
Seven thousand dairy farmers were supplying 23 lakh litres of milk to primary co-operative societies. In addition, they supplied 50 lakh litres of milk to private milk marketers and retail milk vendors.
Pointing out that the prices of cattle feed had gone up substantially, they demanded that milk procurement prices be hiked by Rs.4 per litre of buffalo milk and Rs.6 per litre of cow’s milk immediately.
The association said that approximately 25,000 dairy farmers were working in co-operative societies for the last 20 to 30 years on a consolidated pay of Rs.2,000 to Rs. 3,000.
Bowing to persistent demands, in April 2008, a committee was formed to resolve their grievances. It was assured that these workers would be made permanent within six months. Even after a year, the demand had not been conceded.
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