Pulwama: Dairy farmers across Kashmir are facing a tough time as milk companies have reduced production in the wake of lower demand for milk and its byproducts amid the pandemic lockdown.
“Dairy farmers across the Valley are worried as they aren’t even able to sell 50 percent of their produce due to which their cows are on verge of starvation and their livelihood is at a stake”, a farmer from Pulwama said.
Several upset farmers told news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that five milk processing units which operate from Industrial Estate Lassipora, including Zum Zum, Nemat, Haleeb, Insha and Al-Bakr, have limited their procurement to 40 percent of the original capacity.
Muhammad Rafiq , a dairy farmer from Turkwangam, Shopian said that he has 40 cows at his farm, however, he is unable to sell milk.
He said that on a daily basis he used to supply 2000 litres to a milk processing unit but now “I am selling just around 500 liters as there is no demand in the market.”
“All shops, hotels and business establishments are shut and there is no demand due to which they are forced to dump thousands of liters of milk in drains,” he said.
Manzoor Ahmad, another dairy farmer said that as they are unable to sell our milk they were unable to procure fodder for their cows.
“In normal times, when we were selling milk we were able to buy feed and other items for our cows, but in these conditions how can we bring fodder to them, he said, adding that our livelihood is dependent on our cows,” Manzoor said, adding that “our cows are facing malnutrition now, and our livelihood is at stake.”
Shafaat Ahmad, an owner of one of the milk processing unit said that they were getting milk from Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and even parts of Chadoora area of Budgam, however, as government imposed restrictions, “we have limited our procurement to 40 percent.”
He said that dairy farmers are suffering a lot as most of them are directly dependent on this sector.
Shafaat said that most of the dairy farmers are run by highly qualified youth who supported the government in opening dairy farms.
Farmers said that they have no other option left other than to throw away the milk in drains as there are no buyers. They requested government to help them in this situation by shifting their milk produce to different parts of J&K so that they won’t suffer more losses. —(KNO)
