Ahmedabad: Tensions flared in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha as thousands of dairy farmers and cattle rearers gathered outside Sabar Dairy on Monday, demanding a 25 per cent hike in milk procurement prices.
What began as a peaceful protest quickly turned volatile when agitators forced their way into the premises, damaging property, tearing down metal barriers, smashing CCTV cameras, and hurling stones.
At least three people were injured in the ensuing chaos, prompting police to resort to tear gas and baton charges to restore order. The protest also spilt onto the Himmatnagar-Talod highway, bringing traffic to a standstill for several hours. In response, heavy police forces were stationed in and around the dairy facility to prevent further escalation.
Adding political weight to the farmers’ movement, local MLA Dhavalsinh Zala joined the demonstrators, accusing the dairy management of suppressing legitimate demands through intimidation.
Protesters claimed that private security guards were deployed to silence dissent rather than address their grievances.
At the core of the unrest is a sharp dip in incentive payouts. Farmers say that while Sabar Dairy had allocated Rs 602 crore in bonuses last year, resulting in a 17 per cent rise in milk prices, this year’s allocation has been slashed to Rs 500 crore, leading to a meagre 9.75 per cent increase.
With operational costs rising, farmers argue that this year’s incentives fail to match their labour and input expenses, leaving them with no choice but to take to the streets.
Sabarkantha District Co operative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd (Sabar Dairy) is a major member of Gujarat’s GCMMF (Amul) network, founded in 1964 at Himmatnagar.
Last fiscal (2023–24), Sabar Dairy surpassed Rs 8,939 crore (approx. USD 1.1 billion) in annual turnover, solidifying its place among Gujarat’s billion dollar dairy co operatives.
In FY22, its total operating income was reported at Rs 6,805 crore, with roughly 52 per cent from packaged and raw milk sales, complemented by milk powder (~17 per cent) and cattle feed (~13 per cent).
The union procures milk from around 3.85 lakh farmers through a network of 2,000 village co ops, extending procurement into neighbouring states too. Its market spans Gujarat and beyond—supported by a significant Rohtak, Haryana plant—offering fluid milk, value added dairy, cattle feed, and animal nutrition products.
(IANS)
