Amroha (Uttar Pradesh), Mar 2 (IANS): In an unexpected development, dairy farmers in three villages in Amroha district have stopped supply of milk to the cooperative societies to express their solidarity with the farmers' movement.
The dairy farmers have also announced that from March 6, they will sell milk at Rs 100 per litre. At present, their supply is sold at Rs 35 per litre.
State president of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) youth wing, Digambar Singh, said, "We have not invoked the farmers to stop the milk sale. Farmers are doing so of their own to protest against farm law. Agitation is not confined to us, it has reached ground level and is now getting support from other farmers and common man too."
According to reports, on Monday, dairy farmers of three villages -- Rasulpur Mafi, Chuchaila Khurd, and Shahzadpur in Amroha district -- put their milk vessels upside down refusing to supply milk to cooperative societies.
The tankers of the societies returned empty.
According to Dinesh Kumar, a dairy farmer, "We are doing this to show solidarity with our brothers who are sitting on the Ghazipur border protesting against the farm laws. We fully support them and shutting down the milk supply is our way of protesting."
Another farmer Rajpura Singh said, "Our agitation against the three black farm laws will continue. There is no guarantee of payment and minimum support price for crops in these laws.
"There is an unwarranted hike in the prices of fuel, pesticide, fertilizers, power tariff, labour wage leading to drastic increase in the cost of production. In such desperate conditions, how can farmers survive? We will not sell milk to the cooperative societies. We will prepare other products from milk, like ghee, sweets and butter for six days, instead of selling it to societies."
Chairman of Parag Dairy (government owned dairy), Pradeep Chaudhary said, "It came to my notice that there are some farmers in Rasoolpur who did not sell milk on Monday. However, there is no branch of Parag dairy here in these villages."