02 June, 2026 – Amritsar : Unable to secure a ‘fair’ price for the milk they produce, dairy farmers on Monday spilled milk on roads in Amritsar and accused the administration of failing to curb the widespread sale of spurious milk and milk products, which they claim is hurting genuine producers.
The protesters alleged that the flourishing trade in adulterated dairy products has kept milk prices artificially low, pushing many dairy farmers towards financial distress and forcing some to shut down their operations altogether.
As a mark of protest, the farmers emptied cans of milk on the roads to draw the administration’s attention to their demands. Ironically, in Punjab’s agrarian culture, wasting milk is generally frowned upon, with “dudh” (milk) and “putt” (son) traditionally regarded as divine blessings. Yet, driven by mounting frustration, dairy farmers have resorted to spilling milk on public roads twice within a fortnight.
“The administration is not doing enough to check the sale of spurious milk and milk products. Routine sampling alone cannot solve the problem,” said Karamjit Singh, district president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta Sidhupur.
The farmers said while the cost of fodder, cattle feed and even dry hay has risen steadily over the years, the price they receive for milk has remained largely stagnant.
“The cost of dairy farming has increased to such an extent that many farmers have been forced to close their dairy units,” said farmer Ranjit Singh.
This is the second such protest in the district in recent weeks. On May 18, farmers had poured milk outside the District Administrative Complex, following which the Health Department launched inspections of dairy shops and collected samples for testing.
However, the farmers claimed that little had changed since then and described the department’s action as a routine exercise rather than a serious crackdown. They demanded that authorities identify large-scale manufacturers and suppliers of spurious milk, khoya and paneer and initiate stringent action against them as well as those allegedly providing them protection.
The Tribune