RAB supports dairy farmers in Sirajganj, Pabna
The dairy farmers have, to some extent, recovered their financial losses caused by Covid-19
Some members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) 12 bought around 100,000 litres of milk from dairy farmers of Sirajgnaj and Pabna in the past two weeks.
As a result, these Rab members are getting pure clarified butter and cheese, and the dairy farmers also can sell their produce. It has also created employment opportunity for many people.
Milk Vita buys milk from the dairy farmers of Sirajganj and Pabna. But these dairy farmers could not sell their produce during the lockdown over the coronavirus outbreak.
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The Rab members are producing clarified butter and cheese from the milk bought. They paid Tk45 per litre for the milk. They have also brought in experts to help them produce cheese and clarified butter from the milk.
The dairy farmers said that they had to dump a huge quantity of milk because they did not have any buyers for it.
"From the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, the prime minister instructed us to support people of low-income. After we got the directives, we learnt that the dairy farmers of Sirajganj are dumping their milk," said Lt Col Khairul Islam, commander of RAB 12.
I informed the Rab director general about this, and he suggested that we buy the milk from the dairy farmers, he added.
"Three parties are benefitted in this deal. The dairy farmers can sell milk at the market price, Rab members are getting pure milk, and unemployed people get the option to work during this pandemic," said the Rab commander.
The dairy farmers think that they have recovered their financial losses to some extent, and they can recover the loss completely if they continue selling milk to the Rab members.
Badal Pramanik, a dairy farmer of Shahjadpur under Sirajganj said that the Rab members came forward to save them when they started dumping milk.
"Coronavirus almost ruined us, but Rab supported us during this disaster," said Biplab Ghosh, a farmer of the same area.
Rab wants to buy 3,000 litres of milk per day for their own consumption from the local dairy farmers. But getting such a large quantity may not be possible when milk processing companies restart operations.
Around 250,000 lakh litres of milk is produced per day in Pabna and Sirajganj districts.
