Milk producers demanded that a meeting of the Deputy Commissioner, KMF officials and Milk Producers’ Union must be convened to find out ways to collect milk in the taluks of Malnad region.

At the meeting of the milk producers organised at Koppa Veterinary Hospital, the milk producers complained that though over 15,000 litres of milk is procured per day in Koppa, Sringeri, Mudigere and N R Pura taluks, the KMF does not collect milk from them. In one of the taluks, KMF sells over 15,000 litres of milk per day. Though KMF has made the Malnad region as one of its markets, it has not taken the initiative to collect milk from the region, giving silly excuses, they said.

They also demanded that Rs 16 crore that has been set aside in Vidarbha package, for development of dairy business in the district must be used for setting up refrigeration and processing units which will help in milk collection, instead of using it just for distributing different breeds of cows.

When Animal Husbandry Department Joint Director Ramachandra informed that 900 cattle costing Rs 30,000 per calf will be distributed in the district under the Vidarbha package, the milk producers reiterated their demand for collecting milk from the dairy farmers.
  
Zilla Panchayat member S N Ramaswamy said that the Deputy Commissioner who is also the Vidarbha Package Implementation Committee president must convene a meeting of the milk producers and KMF officials to discuss about ways of milk collection and setting up of a refrigeration unit. Taluk Panchayat president B S Satish, EO Kantharaj, Chikkegowda from Jnanajyoti Village Development Trust, Talamakki Subbanna  from Consumer Awareness Forum and veterinary doctor Veerabhadrappa participated.