By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, May 14, 2016 : Protest against the Naveen Patnaik government by milk farmers is growing in the state with scores of milk farmers on Saturday pouring hundreds of litres of milk here protesting against government apathy and toughened procurement norms of state-owned Orissa State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited [OMFED].

Earlier last month, in a unique protest against what they called anti-farmer policy of the Naveen Patnaik-led Odisha government, milk farmers in Puri and Bargarh on Saturday poured hundreds of litres of milk on the road in front of the collector’s office, sources said.

The farmers, however, had to face opposition from the denizens who openly denounced wasting an essential commodity on a public road.

Perturbed a bit yet unrelenting, the farmers took to distributing the milk to the travellers and nearby slum-dwellers free of cost.

The milk farmers have been complaining of neglect and harassment by both OMFED and the State Government alike.

A milk farmer complained that the current minimum procurement price of milk is too low to even maintain our livestock.

“OMFED recently raised density bar to 29 points in lactometer test from earlier 24 points. We have no choice but to pour the milk on the road,” questioned Madhu Behera, a milk farmer from the city outskirts.

“We are farmers. Selling milk is our main source of income. Pouring away our money on the road doesn’t give us any pleasure. But, we are left with no other choice. OMFED has reduced procurement from us citing excess production at other places and has increased the density bar. The government is sleeping over our demands of including milk in mid day meal scheme, Mamata scheme and setting the minimum procurement price at Rs 30,” rued Dibakara Sahu, another farmer.