Farmers' dream of earning from milk sales shatters

By Kabiraj Ghimire,Hile, June 18: Sanjeev Katuwal of Hattikharka of Ward No. 1 of Chhathar Jorpati Rural Municipality of Dhankuta started a dairy farm business in his native village four years ago with the aspiration to stay back and be engaged in agriculture when his friends were going abroad. He had brought eight improved breed of cattle and started milk production.

Initially, the business was going well. He was selling up to 150 liters of milk daily and receiving his payments on time. Milk sales profits were good. However, today the same profession has become a bother for him. He had to sell most of his cattle, and now only two are left in his shed. He does not know what to do next.

According to him, the reason for being displaced from this occupation is the delay in the payment of milk. The Dairy Development Corporation, to whom he was supplying milk, has not been giving him timely payments for the past two years. He informed that he has not been paid for the last seven months by the institution.

“We thought making dairy would be more eco-friendly than other work, and we started it, but now it is hard to swallow or spit it out," said Katuwal.

Tikaraj Karki of Ward No. 6 of Dhankuta Municipality, who had come back from abroad 11 years ago, also started dairy farming. The venture had gone well for the first nine years, but it has deteriorated over the last two years. He is thinking of going abroad again. So, he sold dozens of cows. The main reason he left this work is because he didn't get paid for the milk on time.

The Dairy Development Corporation run by the government has not been paying the full amount to farmers for the milk they supply to it in the past two years. Farmers who tried to secure a future in cattle farming are, however, being driven out of this profession. There are many farmers like Katuwal and Karki from Dhankuta who are quitting due to delayed payment.

Presently, the farmers are not able to survive in the business. They have not been paid even once since last October. Without timely payment, it has been very difficult to maintain and continue dairy farming. Farmers are now forced to take high-interest loans to continue breeding cows and pay bank installments, says Narad Katuwal, a framer from Marekathare, Dhankuta and president of the Dairy Producers Association, Dhankuta.

“If we fail to provide food to the cattle, they will die. If we fail to pay bank installments, we are charged a penalty. We keep taking loans at high interest rates just to pay the dues. How long can we go on in this manner? asks Katuwal.

The payment issue continues and milk production in Dhankuta has also gone down. There are nearly 10,000 farmers who produce milk in the district. The district used to collect some 35,000 liters of milk daily.

Around 70% of the milk is sold outside the district by the Dairy Development Corporation and private dairies. But now, the livelihood of most farmers is under threat.

In the 2080/81 fiscal year, the district produced 17,313 metric tonnes of milk. But up to the mid-point of this fiscal year, only 6,900 metric tonnes have been produced. Even now, production may be lower than 13,000 metric tonnes this year, down by approximately 4,000 metric tonnes from the previous year, claims Dinesh Karki, Livestock Development Officer at Livestock Expert Service Centre and Veterinary Hospital, Dhankuta.

"Milk production is declining. In the current fiscal year, it will be 4,000 metric tonnes lower than last year. The main reason is non-payment in time, which is pushing the farmers out of the line of business," said Karki.

Farmers have repeatedly protested to get paid on time. Even after the protests, the problem is not solved. After every protest, the corporation and the ministry ensure them that the problem will be resolved soon, says Narad Katuwal, president of the Dairy Producers Association, Dhankuta.

"We even have problems protesting. If we protest, our cattle might perish," said Katuwal.

During a visit to Dhankuta last April, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Ramnath Adhikari said the payments were delayed because the ghee was stuck in storage. He promised that after selling the ghee, farmers' problems would be solved within a month.

However, till date, the payment problem remains unresolved. The farmers rue that they receive many promises from officials and leaders, but never receive the payments.