'Where Are the Milk Buyers?' Ask Dairy Farmers of Ganderbal in Kashmir

The milk producers hope that authorities take action and keep a check on the milk that's entering the state.

Dairy farmers protesting in the Ganderbal district of Kashmir.

(Image altered by The Quint/Deeksha Malhotra)

On learning that hundreds of litres of milk were not being bought by dealers in Kashmir's Srinagar City, the dairy farmers in Ganderbal district emptied their cans of milk in drains, as a mark of protest, on Saturday, 31 January.

The dairy farmers of Lar area in the Ganderbal district are worried about losing their decade-old job, on which their entire livelihood is dependent.

My friend and I travelled to Lar in Ganderbal district and spoke to the people involved in the business.

Milk suppliers dumping the milk in drains.

(Photo courtesy: Mubashir Naik and Irshad Hussain)

Zamrooda Banu, 34, a dairy farmer from Repora in Central Kashmir's Ganderbal district sold her gold bangles and other belongings to buy 20 cows. She hoped it would help her family.

She, alone, was supplying 30 cans of milk to different parts of Srinagar city. However, all her dreams were shattered on the day she learnt that a single can of milk was not being bought by the dealers.

For the last 20 days, the milk producers of Central Kashmir’s district Ganderbal have been expressing their anger and resentment against the supply of milk from outside to different parts of the Valley.

On Saturday, the milk producers were seen emptying their milk in drains. They blamed the unchecked supply of milk from outside that had affected their trades and have left many of them jobless for the last few months.

Protesting milk producers said that the dealers and public are not buying milk from them, as huge containers of milk (packaged milk) are coming to the Valley every day, which has occupied the markets.

"The buyers we had over the years have stopped the consumption of the original milk. They prefer packaged milk, which is easily available every time."

Zamrooda Banu

While narrating her ordeal, Zamrooda said that when her 30 cans of milk came back to her, she emptied them down the drains. "Where can the poor go now? I cannot sleep because of this," she added.

Milk suppliers agitated due to the crisis.

(Photo courtesy: Mubashir Naik and Irshad Hussain)

No Money To Buy Fodder For Cows

"Government gave us subsidies when we bought the cows, but it seems that we are jobless now. The cows are on the verge of starvation, I don’t have the money to buy fodder for them. I earn by selling milk, feed my family and cows. Now, I’m dumping 60 percent of the milk produced every day."

Zamrooda Banu

Anothther dairy farmer, Said Rafeeq Ahmed, bought 20 cows but is at a loss now.

"After throwing away 70 percent of the milk like this, we have to feed our cows as well. I don’t have money to buy fodder for them. If the government will not interfere in this regard, we will be forced to sell our cows and with this all our dreams too will vanish."

Said Rafeeq Ahmed

We also met, Nisar Ahmed, 26, who has been running a dairy farm in Watlar, Ganderbal district, for the last seven years. He told us that he dropped out of his education just to uplift his family, by taking care of a dairy farm, with the help of the government’s subsidy.

Suppliers emptying their milk cans.

(Photo courtesy: Mubashir Naik and Irshad Hussain)

"What will I do with the cows now when their milk remains unsold in the market? If the situation remains the same, I don’t think our cows will survive. We appeal to the L-G administration to intervene and save us and our cows."

Nisar Ahmed

The suppliers also complained that even reaching out to the authorities did not help them in any way.

“We went to concerned officials to intervene, but nothing has changed on the ground. We sold everything that we had, to feed our cows. But we fear we may lose our jobs too," they told us.

The milk producers hope that authorities take some action and listen to their demands of keeping a check on the milk that's entering the state.

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