Milk farmers on Wednesday protested the State Government’s apathy towards them in a novel way by pouring milk on road in front of the district Collectorate here.
Shouting anti-Government slogans for the anti-farmer policy, the milk producers under the banner of the Odisha Dugdha Utpadaka Sangram Samiti also burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The protestors demanded a minimum payment of Rs 30 per litre of milk by the Omfed and inclusion of milk in the menu for the midday meal scheme. “The association will intensify its stir if the Government fails to fulfil our demands,” Samiti president Janmejaya Jena said.
The milk farmers are on agitation after the Omfed slashed the percentage of milk procurement from the farmers and self-help groups.
“The Omfed is not collecting milk from self-help groups. If it does not procure milk from us, how will we repay the loan that we have taken to produce milk,” questioned Jena. The Government should fulfil the demand at the earliest or else farmers would resort to take extreme steps, warned Jena.