Dairy farmers protest

    26-May-2022
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IMPHAL, May 25: Dairy farmers who have been supplying milk to the Manipur Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union (MMPCU) aka Manipur Milk Union (MMU) had a confrontation with police today as they tried to lock the office of the Central Dairy Plant, Porompat Managing Director. 
Members of MMPCU held a meeting at their Porompat office today with their chairman Ch Ramananda and manager (general administration) S Kenedy.
Driven by several grievances, many dairy farmers who are also members of MMPCU tried to lock the office of Central Dairy Plant Managing Director Dr Ng Ibotombi at the end of the meeting.
However, a team of police arrived there and prevented them from locking the office. This resulted in a brief stand-off between the two sides.
The police team appealed to the dairy farmers not to lock the office but talk with the Government officials concerned and highlight their grievances.
After the two sides came to an understanding, a meeting was fixed tomorrow between the dairy farmers and the Managing Director.
Earlier during the meeting, the dairy farmers raised a proposal to hike the price of milk in view of the rising prices of cattle feed and medicines.
They also lamented that   Dr Ng Ibotombi who is also the Director of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department did not come to the union’s office during the last four years.
One Laishram Jayenta from Nachou, Bishnupur district said that the Government announced a hike in milk price last month but the hike was cancelled the next moment.
He said that MMPCU has been selling milk at Rs 60 per litre after purchasing the milk from them (dairy farmers) at Rs 36 per litre.
The price of milk given by the MMPCU to dairy farmers is no longer feasible for dairy farming, he said.
Nongmaithem Dhanabir, another dairy farmer from Nachou said that they would stop supplying milk to MMPCU if the price of milk given to them is not hiked by May 30.