Favouritism?: Dairy farmers protest milk prices

They claim the government is favouring the tetra pack industry

KARACHI: Dairy farmers, after failing to negotiate on the milk prices with Karachi commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, have come out on the roads to mark their protest.

While protesting on the Mehran Highway in Bhains Colony, the dairy farmers blocked the road and slaughtered two cows in protest of the government setting milk prices.

One of the dairy farmers, Shakir Umer, while talking to the media said that the government was supporting the tetra pack industry and wanted to damage the farmers’ business. He said the cost of fresh milk in the market set by the government was Rs70, whereas the tetra milk was sold at Rs120. “Is this justice?” he asked.

Earlier, in September, the Dairy and Cattle Farmers Associations increased milk prices without the government’s consent. Milk sellers unilaterally raised the prices of milk and yoghurt by Rs10 per litre and Rs20 per kilogramme to Rs94 and Rs140, respectively. The farmers’ association claimed that the last time the price was increased was in 2012 and the price of fodder had drastically gone up since then.

One of the dairy farmers’ cartels threatened to auction off milk in the open market, which could have driven the prices up to Rs100 per litre.