Jeemon Kaaraadi, a dairy farmer from Kottayam, decided to act after several representations sent to the Milma officials drew a blank.

He, along with a cow and its calf, boarded a pick-up truck to the capital city. For the past 10 days, the three of them are living in a small ‘two-storey’ tent in front of Milma Bhavan at Pattom, with the ground floor occupied by the cow and the calf, and Jeemon sleeping on a cot attached to pillars just above them. One of his demands is restructuring of the milk price charts so that dairy farmers would get minimum prices. “The price of milk has increased in recent times. But it is hardly reflected in payments to dairy farmers. There has been only a nominal increase in our earnings. Also, the lack of clarity in the norms for fat content and Solid Not Fat (SNF) in milk collected from us means that the respective cooperative society can bring down the prices at will,” says Mr. Jeemon. Amid the protest too, he regularly milks the cow. He has stocked up on cattle feed and grass.

“I distribute the milk to the tea shops nearby. A few local people have also begun asking for it, as milk straight from the udder is almost non-existent in the city,” he says.

Some of those who came to the Milma counter close by were seen enquiring if they could buy milk from him.

But his grouse is that none of the officials who pass through the gates daily has asked him why he is sitting here. “Perhaps, they think I will leave this place if there is no response. But, I have just started boiling the milk, and it will take some time to rise and spill over,” he says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / S. R. Praveen / Thiruvananthapuram – August 25th, 2014