Dairy farmers in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district have suspended their milk strike until September 30 after receiving assurances from the administration, while continuing to demand higher milk procurement rates to address rising cattle-feed and fodder costs.
The strike began on September 13, with farmers agreeing to resume milk supplies from September 19 following an assurance from Deputy Collector Nidhi Bhardwaj. Farmers have warned of a larger agitation if their demands are not addressed by the deadline.
The farmers’ principal demand is to increase the milk-fat rate to ₹12 per unit. They said this would raise the price of cow milk to around ₹80 per litre and buffalo milk to ₹100 per litre.
According to the Animal Husbandry Department, Rajgarh has approximately 652,792 livestock, of which around 60%, or 392,000 animals, are milk-producing. The district produces approximately 4.5 lakh litres of milk per day, while the Sanchi Milk Union reportedly procures around 70,000 litres daily.
During the September 13–18 strike period, Sanchi Milk Union’s procurement reportedly declined by only around 2,000 litres per day, according to Kripal Dungariya of the union. The limited decline was reported despite the wider disruption in milk sales.
Farmers have cited increasing prices of cattle feed, fodder and jaggery as major reasons for seeking higher milk prices. Prem Singh Ranawat, district president of the Devnarayan Milk Union, said milk-fat rates were currently around ₹8–9 per unit.
Farmers have also proposed reducing the cost of cattle feed and jaggery as an alternative to higher milk procurement rates. Their demands include a ₹2,000 price for a 50-kg cattle-feed bag, compared with around ₹3,500, and ₹30 per kg for jaggery, compared with around ₹80.
The protest also affected milk availability in parts of the district. Separate local reporting said more than 140 dairies in Khilchipur were closed during the agitation over demands for higher milk prices.
On September 18, farmers from different parts of Rajgarh gathered at the Devnarayan Temple before holding a motorcycle rally and staging a protest at the district collectorate. Farmers had also submitted a memorandum to the collector on September 15.
Deputy Collector Nidhi Bhardwaj told the farmers that the district administration had raised the issue with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and milk-union managers. A milk-union meeting is scheduled for September 30, when Sanchi and other cooperative societies may consider revisions to their procurement rates.
The administration also indicated that an increase in cooperative procurement rates could encourage private dairies to raise their own prices. For farmers selling milk directly to households, however, the price would remain a matter between individual farmers and consumers.
The Rajgarh protest highlights the continuing pressure on dairy farmers from input costs and the gap between farm-level milk prices and downstream dairy-product economics. The outcome of the September 30 meeting is expected to determine whether procurement rates are revised or further farmer action follows.
Source: Dairynews7x7 22 Sep, 2026 Read full story here
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