KATHMANDU, Aug 14: Dairy producer cooperatives have complained of not receiving payment for milk supplied. The 31st board meeting of the Central Dairy Cooperative Association Nepal (CDCAN), held in Chitwan, has warned that if payments are not made, they will launch a phased protest starting on August 20.
The cooperatives say that because they have not been paid, they are unable to pay the farmers, and thus have decided to protest. CDCAN Chairperson Ammar Bahadur Kunwar said that on August 20, a meeting of district cooperative chairpersons will be organized, and further decisions will be taken during that meeting.
“We want dairy farmers to be respected, not humiliated. For this, we have decided to go for a movement,” he said.
According to him, dairy producers across the country are owed more than Rs 4 billion combined from the government and the private sector. After repeated talks and discussions failed to show prospects for payment, they felt compelled to protest. He stated that the Dairy Development Board owes Rs 1 billion, while the private sector owes Rs 3 billion. The union has prepared for protest, saying that the 11-point agreement reached with the government has not been implemented.
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Following the meeting, CDCAN organized a press conference where General Secretary Ram Acharya said they will also classify and publicly name industries that pay and those that do not, along with the amounts owed to the farmers.
“Some industries are making payments. We will categorize them into those paying and those not paying, and make that information public along with the amounts owed,” Acharya said. He urged industries with outstanding payments to settle them within a week, warning that otherwise they will move forward with protests.
“We will send letters to industries with pending dues, giving them until the 20th to pay. If not, we will go into protest,” he added.
CDCAN Vice-Chairperson Bhagirath Timilsina said that since farmers running their households by selling milk have been disrespected by industrialists, preparations for protests have been made. According to him, even though the Dairy Development Board and private industries had assured payment after product sales, large amounts remain unpaid for a long time. “This time, the farmers will get justice through the movement,” he said.
The Dairy Development Board has had pending payments since last January, while the private sector has pending payments since last November.
CDCAN Secretary Thaneshwar Sapkota expressed anger that industrialists have withheld farmers’ payments using various excuses. He warned that if this continues, dairy farmers’ problems will worsen, and stakeholders should take interest in solving the issue. He said dairy farmers are facing trouble due to the government and private sector’s indifference.
Milk is produced in 64 districts across the country. District dairy producer cooperatives operate in 36 districts. From these districts, 7 million liters of milk are produced daily. A total of 1,872 dairy producer cooperatives produce 1.3 million liters of milk per day, involving 600,000 families. The CDCAN said that over 3 million farmers are engaged in milk production.
