Dairy farmers in Chitwan have launched a protest against state-owned Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) for slashing milk prices. More than 800 upset farmers gathered at Bakulhar Chok and blocked the highway and distributed milk free of cost to commuters to express their dissatisfaction at DDC’s move. Dairy cooperatives cut the farmgate milk price by Rs3 per litre after DDC reduced their commission from the beginning of fiscal 2018-19. Earlier, DDC used to pay Rs6.92 per litre as commission to dairy cooperatives. Ek Narayan Poudel, advisor to the Dairy Farmers and Central Dairy Producers’ Cooperative Union, said they distributed their product free of cost to the general public to attract the attention of authorities. Earlier, farmers in Rapti Municipality spilled milk on the road at Bhandara. Farmers from Khairahani also dumped milk in Jyamire. DDC collects milk from around 1,100 dairy cooperatives across the country. It sells 150,000 litres of milk daily. DDC holds a 40 percent market share for milk. Last August, the state-owned enterprise raised the price of milk by Rs4-10 per litre, stating that around 71 percent of the money would go directly to farmers. The country is experiencing a milk holiday after almost nine years as dairies stopped buying milk from farmers citing excess supply. The glut has been attributed to an increase in the number of milk farmers going into commercial production. It has affected milk producers in almost all parts of the country. There are 156 dairy cooperatives in Chitwan alone. About 100,000 farmers supply milk to these cooperatives. According to Harihar Subedi, chairman of the District Dairy Producers’ Cooperative, the district produces 250,000 litres of milk daily. Subedi said farmers were unable to get a reasonable price for their product even during the lean season when supply shrank and demand rose. “If authorities do not address the farmers’ grievances, we will be compelled to launch a sterner protest,” Subedi said. दूधको मूल्य घटाएको विरोधमा चितवन राप्ती नगरपालिकाका किसानले सडकमा दूध पोखेर प्रदर्शन गरेका छन् । पूर्व–पश्चिम राजमार्गअन्तर्गत राप्ती नगरपालिकाको भण्डारा बजारमा उनीहरुले सडकमा दूध पोखेर विरोध जनाएका हुन् । दुग्ध विकास संस्था (डिडिसी) र डेरी उद्योगले प्रतिलिटर करीब रु तीन दूधको मूल्य घटाएको किसानको आरोप छ । राप्ती नगरपालिकाको दुग्ध उत्पादक सहकारी संस्था नगर समन्वय समितिका अध्यक्ष डिल्लीप्रसाद थपलियाले लागत मूल्य नपाइरहेको अवस्थामा विभिन्न बहाना बनाएर दूधको मूल्य घटाएकाले बाध्य भएर दूध पोख्नुपरेको दुखेसो गरे । मूल्य घटाएको विरोधमा सांकेतिक रुपमा शुक्रबार किसानले यहाँको सडकमा २४० लिटर दूध पोखेका थिए । किसानका समस्यामा ध्यान नदिए कडा आन्दोलन गर्नेसमेत किसानले बताएका छन् । उहाँका अनुसार राप्तीमा रहेका छ वटा सहकारीले सामूहिक रुपमा दूध सडकमा पोखेका हुन् । यहाँ भण्डारा, परेवाश्वरी, शहीद बलराम, भगवती, नवउद्यमी र जनमुखी दुग्ध उत्पादक सहकारी संघले दूध संकलन गरेर डेरी उद्योगलाई पठाउँदै आएको छ । कुनै छलफल नै नगरी किसानलाई मार पार्ने गरी दूधमा रु तीन प्रतिलिटरका दरले मूल्य घटाएको किसानले आरोप लगाएका छन् । यसअघि पनि निजी डेरीले करीब रु दुई दूधको मूल्य घटाएका थिए । केन्द्रीय दुग्ध उत्पादक सहकारी संघका केन्द्रीय सदस्य बालकृष्ण उप्रेतीले सस्तोमा पाउडर दूध आयात गरेकाले यसरी किसानको दूधमा मूल्य घटाएको आरोप लगाउनुभयो । अहिले दूधबाट पाउडर बनाउनुपर्ने अवस्था सिर्जना भएकाले बाध्य भएर दूधको मूल्य घटाउनुपरेको डिडिसीले प्रतिक्रिया दिएको भन्दै उप्रेतीले त्यो भनाइ सही नभएको दाबी गरे । यो विषयमा आगामी साउन ८ गते बैठक बोलाइएकाले त्यसको निर्णयानुसार मन्त्रालयमा डेलिगेसनलगायत आन्दोलनका कार्यक्रम गरिने उप्रेती बताउँछन् । यहाँ व्यावसायिक रुपमा पशुपालन गर्ने किसानले भने दूधको लागतसमेत उठाउन नसकेको बताउँदै आएका छन् ।