Farmers protest by spilling milk on roads in Amritsar to target fake dairy products
Dairy farmers in Amritsar took to the streets on Monday, pouring milk on roads to protest against the alleged large-scale production and sale of adulterated milk and dairy products, which they claim is hurting genuine producers and pushing dairy farms towards closure.
The protesters said the widespread availability of fake milk, paneer, khoya and other dairy products has kept the market price of pure milk artificially low, making it difficult for farmers to recover rising production costs. They demanded strict action against those involved in manufacturing and selling spurious dairy products.
Led by members of farmer organisations, including the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Sidhupur, the protesters argued that while the prices of cattle feed, fodder and other inputs have increased significantly, milk prices have remained stagnant due to unfair competition from adulterated products.
Farmers expressed frustration over what they described as inadequate enforcement by authorities. They alleged that routine inspections and sample collections by the health department have failed to curb the illegal trade in fake dairy products.
This is the second such protest in less than two weeks. On May 18, dairy farmers had staged a similar demonstration outside the district administrative complex. Following that protest, officials carried out inspections and collected samples from dairy outlets, but farmers claim there has been little visible improvement.
The protesters have urged the administration to identify large-scale producers of adulterated milk products and take stringent legal action against them. They warned that many dairy farmers may be forced to shut down their operations if fair prices are not ensured and the sale of fake dairy products continues unchecked.
