Bengaluru dairy farmers poured hundreds of litres of milk onto the floor of a cooperative society in Narayanapura, in Nelamangala taluk, on Monday after alleging that their Dasara bonus and government subsidies had not been paid. The protest disrupted the morning collection process and brought attention to complaints about the management of the local milk producers’ cooperative.
The farmers said they arrived at the Narayanapura Milk Producers Cooperative Society at around 5am to deliver their milk. According to the protesters, they waited for more than two-and-a-half hours without receiving a resolution from the management. At around 7.30am, they emptied milk cans across the premises as a sign of protest.
The immediate dispute centres on the annual Dasara incentive that the farmers said the society’s management had repeatedly promised to release. The protesters also alleged that government incentive payments had been mismanaged and raised complaints about financial irregularities involving members’ savings. The allegations concern payments that farmers depend on alongside their regular milk earnings.
“We labour hard to keep the dairy supply running, but when festival time comes, the authorities play games with our hard-earned bonus and savings,” protesting farmer Manjappa said. The farmers directed their anger at society president Manjunath, the secretary and other board members, and demanded an inquiry and audit of the cooperative’s functioning.
The incident reflects how a dispute inside a local cooperative can quickly affect the operation of a neighbourhood-level milk collection network. Farmers use such societies to deliver milk, while the management is responsible for recording collections and handling payments and incentives. In this case, the protesters said the delay at the society left them without a resolution after they arrived for the morning collection.
Society president Manjunath was unavailable for comment on the allegations and the farmers’ demand for an audit. The protesters warned that they would intensify their agitation and approach officials of the district cooperative department if their pending bonuses and savings were not released immediately. No further action by the cooperative department was reported in the supplied account.
