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