Milk supply in Mumbai unaffected, as dairy farmers’ strike enters second day

Government officials said on Tuesday that supply may get hit in a day or two, if the strike is not called off.

As the dairy farmers’ strike entered the second day in Maharashtra, milk supply to Mumbai and its surrounding areas remained unaffected on Tuesday, though agitators tried to block milk vans and spilled milk on the roads. Government officials said the supply may get hit in a day or two if the strike is not withdrawn.

Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana activists pour milk in front of a temple in Karad, Maharashtra, on Monday.(PTI Photo)

Dairy development commissioner Rajiv Jadhav said only 15% to 20% of milk supply in the state has been affected so far, and that it would not result in milk shortage in Mumbai.

Following a strike call by Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathana (SSS), a farmers’ outfit led by Kolhapur Member of Parliament (MP) Raju Shetti, dairy farmers on Tuesday continued to block milk tankers in Beed, Jalna and Kolhapur districts. In some places, they spilled milk on roads while at others, protesters distributed it free to locals.

Shetti, who was in Palghar district on Tuesday, was spotted blocking milk tankers near Dapcheri village with a group of farmers.

SSS spokesperson Anil Pawar said: “Farmers have stopped collecting milk and this has affected the overall milk collection across the state.”

Dairy farmers are demanding a direct subsidy of Rs5 a litre from the state government for the next four months to offset their losses owing to low prices. They are also upset over not getting the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs27 per litre declared by the Maharashtra government.

The Shiv Sena on Tuesday demanded that tax be imposed tax on milk that comes into Maharashtra from other states. “The state is producing excess milk and is also getting lakhs of litres of milk from other states because of which the prices crashed. To deal with this issue, the state can impose taxes on milk coming from other states,” MLC Neelam Gore said in the legislative council on Tuesday.