Dairy farmers affiliated with Sahakara Bharathi, a cooperative NGO, will launch a postcard campaign on October 27 by holding a farmers convention in Udupi to urge the State government to raise the milk procurement price by Rs 5 per litre.
The convention will be held at the Rajangana of Sri Krishna Mutt, according to the convener (dairy farmers' cell) of Sahakara Bharathi Sanoor Narasimha Kamath.
He claimed that the cost of milk production has skyrocketed due to an increase in cattle feed prices. Despite dairy farmers' requests for an increase in the milk procurement price, the government has not responded positively.
Dairy farmers in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts who supply milk to the Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Union Ltd. via 734 milk producers' cooperative societies on a daily basis are now paid 35 per litre, according to Kamath. "The farmers should get 40 cents per litre to cover their production costs," he said.
Initially, 1,000 dairy farmers in Udupi district will write their demands on postcards and ask Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to intervene. Later, the campaign will be expanded to other parts of the state.
He stated that Sahakara Bharathi members in their respective districts will submit memoranda to the Deputy Commissioners and district in-charge Ministers in this regard.
Later, he said, 5,000 dairy farmers from each district will join the campaign by posting postcards to press for the demand.
