Maharashtra milk farmers begin strike to protest sharp fall in prices

Farmers in Maharashtra came on the streets, disrupting milk supply to major cities, including the state capital, in protest against a sharp fall in the prices they get. 

The stir, called by the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS), is to press for a minimum Rs 5 a litre of subsidy to milk farmers in the state and a minimum sale price of cow milk at Rs 30 a litre. 

Around 70 per cent of the 165 million tonnes of milk produced across India in a year is consumed directly in liquid form. The remaining 30 per cent is processed into products such as