Dairy farmers in Amritsar seek curb on sale of spurious milk

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 22

Ahead of the festive season, dairy farmers have urged the authorities to curb the sale of spurious milk products in the market. They said this step would enable them to fetch good price of milk. The Kisan Mazadoor Sangharsh Committee also submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner in this regard.

Sarwan Singh Pandher, general secretary, Kisan Mazadoor Sangharsh Committee, said, “Sale of adulterated milk and milk product are posing serious challenge to dairy farmers. Farmers work hard, but do not get good price for their milk products. Spurious milk products are being sold without any check in the market. The administration should curb the sale of such products.”

Dairy farmers alleged that milk and other products, including khoya, cheese and cream, were being supplied form Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in the state.

Raja Singh, a dairy owner at Kotla Gujjran, said, “We buy cattle, make shed, arrange fodder and feed and spend huge amount on suppliments for milch animals. We do not get viable price in the market. In winter, milk shops in city start avoiding us and hardly pay the required price of milk.”

Gurbbachan Singh, a farmer from Chabba village, said, “There is a lot of difference between consumption and production of milk. Dairy farmers should get good price because the production of milk is less as compared to demand. However, the rule of economic fails, as spurious milk and milk products fill the demand-supply gap.”

Progressive dairy farmer, Preetinder Singh Chaddi, said, “There is no report about synthetic or chemical milk in the district. Milk and cheese is being prepared from milk powder. Supply of khoya is suspicious. Sampling parameters of government are not accurate. When the department concerned collects sample of pure milk, even it also fails test. The gap in production and consumption is too much. Milk sector needs reforms, else dairy farmers will never get adequate price for their produce.”