Spread the love

By Our Reporter

Nepal has been self-reliant in dairy products, but some businessmen are now actively working to import the dairy products from India, which comes as disappointing news for the livestock farmers.

Media reports have it that discussions are underway in Koshi to allow the import of powder milk from India.

The most intriguing fact is that Koshi is the province where the farmers are producing milk exceeding the demand. And still, the government agencies and the brokers are discussing importing milk from India.

It is said that Koshi produces one million litres of milk a day with more than half of that from formal sector. Per capita milk production is 85 liters in Koshi while 71 liters of milk will be enough for a person in a year. It means the province is producing 40, 000 liters of extra milk every day. As a result, the farmers have to occasionally face milk holidays.

The farmers have invested a huge amount in rearing cows and buffaloes. The government also provides some subsidies to the farmers. As such any effort to import milk powder from India could be catastrophic for the country’s booming dairy industry. Instead of trying to import the milk, the government needs to provide subsidies to farmers so that their production cost comes down and their products can compete in international markets. In the lack of government subsidies, the farmers have to sell their milk products at higher prices than their prices in other countries.