OMFED Milk Rejection Sparks Farmers’ Protest in Nabarangpur; 40,000 Litres of Milk Dumped

Umarkote: More than 2,500 dairy farmers in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district have been pushed into deep distress after the state-run OMFED allegedly stopped procuring milk from the district for the past several days. In a dramatic protest on Saturday, agitated farmers dumped nearly 40,000 litres of milk at the chilling plant near Mendabeda in Umarkote, causing an estimated loss of around Rs 13 lakh.

According to sources, OMFED’s Jeypore plant has reportedly been refusing to accept milk from Nabarangpur district for nearly a month, citing reasons such as poor quality and alleged adulteration. However, dairy farmers have strongly denied the allegations, claiming that they supply milk strictly as per the quality standards prescribed by OMFED.

The district currently has 11 chilling plants with a combined storage capacity of around 53,000 litres. Milk collected from various dairy societies across Nabarangpur is brought to the Umarkote chilling plant before being transported to the Jeypore OMFED plant.

Farmers alleged that for the last three days, OMFED completely stopped accepting milk consignments from the district, leaving thousands of litres unsold. Left with no alternative and after repeated appeals to authorities allegedly went unanswered, the farmers dumped the milk in protest.

“We informed the Animal Resources Development Minister and senior OMFED officials in Bhubaneswar about the crisis since morning, but no concrete response came. We were finally forced to throw away the milk,” said members of the dairy farmers’ society.

The sudden procurement halt has triggered panic among dairy farmers, many of whom had purchased cows through bank loans under various government schemes promoting dairy farming. Farmers fear they may not be able to repay their loans if milk procurement does not resume immediately.

Interestingly, while milk from neighbouring districts such as Koraput, Rayagada and Malkangiri is reportedly being accepted by the Jeypore OMFED plant, procurement from Nabarangpur alone has been stopped, raising serious questions among local farmers.

Sources further claimed that the Jeypore OMFED plant is facing capacity constraints and poor market demand for milk and dairy products, leading to reduced intake. However, instead of openly acknowledging the issue, the plant authorities are allegedly citing quality concerns to reject milk consignments from Nabarangpur.

The protesting farmers have demanded immediate payment for the dumped milk and restoration of regular procurement. They also warned of a major road blockade agitation if their dues are not cleared and the crisis remains unresolved.