Traffic on the busy Bengaluru-Mysuru highway was affected for a while on Thursday following an agitation by farmers against Mandya Milk Union Ltd. (MANMUL) for reducing the milk procurement price.
The milk union, which has been facing severe loss owing to excess procurement of milk and by-products remaining unsold, recently reduced the milk procurement price by ₹2 a litre to offset the losses.
Subsequently, hundreds of farmers blocked the traffic, along with their cattle, on the highway at Induwalu on the outskirts of the town.
The administration has making the union to incur the loss as around 5,800 tonnes of milk by-products (milk powder, butter and ghee) remained unsold at the union, they said. The agitators raised slogans against the State government, the district administration and MANMUL management for not taking measures to help the dairy farmers.
The union should reduce the cattle feed and increase the procurement price, and the government should take steps to clear the sugarcane dues of the suppliers, they added.
