Chamarajanagar Milk Union (Chamul) has announced a reduction in its milk procurement price by Re 1 per litre, effective November 11, affecting around 35,000 milk producers in the district. The price reduction brings the procurement price down from Rs 31.2 per litre to Rs 30.2, though the union continues to offer Rs 32.7 per litre for the highest quality milk.
Chamul, which procures approximately 2.80 lakh litres of milk daily, attributed the price cut to fluctuations in global prices for skimmed milk powder and butter, which have impacted the union’s ability to maintain current procurement rates. Chamul Managing Director Rajkumar stated that the price revision is a temporary measure to prevent losses caused by unstable global market conditions, noting that the excess milk being processed into skimmed milk powder and butter currently has limited demand in both national and international markets.
The price reduction has, however, sparked backlash from various farmer organizations, including the Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha (KRRS) and Hasiru Sene. Vijayakumar, the district unit secretary of KRRS, condemned the decision, highlighting the struggles dairy farmers already face due to rising costs for cattle feed, fodder, labor, and maintenance. Members of the KRRS held a protest outside the Chamul office in Kuderu, demanding the union withdraw the price cut in favor of milk producers.
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