Haryana 'Milk Strike' Called Off Temporarily; Dairy Farmers Issue Ultimatum to Govt Till October 17

Sirsa: The 'Dudh Bandh' (milk supply halt) agitation launched by dairy farmers and livestock owners in Haryana demanding higher milk prices based on fat content was called off on Saturday. Following a meeting at the Sirsa Vita plant, farmer leaders announced that the state government has been given time until October 17 to revise milk procurement rates, failing which a decisive meeting will be held at Jat Dharamshala in Sirsa to declare their next course of action.

Supplies Halted, 1,000 Litres Distributed to Gurudwaras and Needy During the protest, farmers blocked supply tankers at the main entrance of the Sirsa Vita processing facility. Around 1,000 litres of milk collected from private transit drums was distributed to needy locals and sent to community kitchens (langar) at historical Gurudwara Chilla Sahib and temples in Kanganpur. Gurudwara management extended complete support to the protesting livestock owners, reiterating their solidarity with the farming community.

Chilling Centers Face Reduced Inflow The agitation notably impacted operations at regional chilling centers. In Vita's Rania chilling center, which holds a capacity of 15,000 litres, daily collection dropped sharply to 4,100–4,200 litres. Farmer leaders Jasveer Bhati, Hansraj, Harpreet, and Surjit emphasized that if milk prices are not adjusted according to production costs and fat standards by mid-October, the agitation will resume on a wider scale across the state.