Dairy farmers in Tamil Nadu’s Erode threw milk on the road on Friday in protest against the low prices being offered for their product by the state government’s procurement agency Aavin.

Dairy farmers across Tamil Nadu have been demanding an increase of Rs 7 per litre in milk prices, claiming the current prices are not remunerative.

The dairy farmers said they have been struggling to make ends meet as Aavin has not increased prices despite the rising cost of milk production which has made their business financially unviable. by

As a result, many milk producers have diverted their milk to private companies, causing a decline in Aavin’s daily milk procurement from 36 lakh to 27 lakh litres in the last few months, according to the Milk Producers Association.

Milk sold by Aavin is cheaper by Rs 12 to Rs 15 a litre compared to private brands. “If the government fails to intervene in fixing the procurement price, the three-tier cooperative structure that has been built to protect the rural economy will collapse,”  said M G Rajendran, general secretary of TN Milk Producers Welfare Association.